It's not every day that we can play Super Mario Karts or Street Fighter inside our electric car, using one of the (five) screens present, but that's what Guilherme did, aboard the new Honda E , and even more with the company of the pilot Tiago Monteiro, while the battery was charging.
One of the most curious highlights in this first dynamic contact with Honda's first electric car, in Valencia, Spain.
The Honda E will arrive in Portugal during the next month of June, with prices starting at 35 000 euros — the unit that William tested, Advance (higher equipment level) will cost 38 500 euros.
What to expect from the Honda E?
It is the new electrical whooping of the Japanese brand and look at it… Evocative, but very appealing, with simple shapes, and full of charm.
It rests on a dedicated platform with the 35.5 kWh battery positioned on the ground between the axles, contributing to a center of gravity almost as low as that of the NSX, Honda's hybrid supercar. It has five doors and four seats—very reasonable space in the second row—but the trunk is worthy… of a townsman: just 171 l.
The battery capacity is not very high — most competitors, such as the Renault Zoe or Peugeot e-208, are already at 50 kWh (or a little more) — so the autonomy is also modest, inferior to that of its competitors , despite the E being one of the most expensive proposals.
officially sane 220 km of autonomy against the nearly 400 km of the Zoe or the 340 km of the e-208 — even the more modest SEAT Mii Electric, with a similar battery capacity, advertises 260 km.
However, the Honda E regains some advantage as far as the electric machine is concerned, as it is not only available with an engine. 136 hp as its main competitors, as it offers yet another, more powerful with 154 hp — both engines provide 314 Nm of maximum torque.
This already guarantees lively performance, as can be seen from the 8.3s in the 0-100 km/h — don't forget that, like its rivals and despite its compact dimensions, the Honda E is a 1500 kg heavyweight (blame the batteries).
Ground links are provided by a MacPherson layout, both front and rear, and rear-wheel drive. It stands out from the competition because of its comfort on board, but to find out all the impressions of driving the Honda E, watch the video with Guilherme (and Tiago Monteiro) as company:
Loadings
With just over 200 km of autonomy, charging will be more frequent than with other trams already on the market. Honda advertises just 30 minutes to “fill” the battery to 80% of its full capacity in a quick charger (50 kW). In a 7.4 kW (32 A) wallbox, 4.1h is needed to reach 100%, while in a domestic outlet this value increases to (long) 18h.
While we're waiting for it to load, and if a coffee break isn't for you, there's even a little virtual contest with a pro driver. Thank you James!
