Photo: Stefan Baldauf/SB-Medien
As Honda prepares to take the veil off the 2019 Passport in North America, the European division is testing an electric vehicle. Similar in size and styling to the Urban EV Concept from the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show, the hatchback carries over the mirrorless design of the concept.
Peer through the windows and you’ll also notice a digital display integrated into the rearview camera, which goes to show how technologized the Urban EV will be. What isn’t too clear about the production model is the number of doors. While the camouflage leads us to believe Honda has designed a five-door body style, the concept has three.
The pop-out door handles remind us of Land Rover, Jaguar, and Aston Martin, but as far as the wheelbase is concerned, the rear passenger won’t be too pleased with riding too long in the Urban EV. Both the headlights and taillights are round like in the good ol’ days of the automobile, boasting full-LED technology.
Another element that captured our attention is the cutout in the camouflage on the hood. On the concept, that’s where the electric charging cable connection is housed. Scheduled to enter production towards the end of 2019, the Urban EV is shorter than the Jazz by around 100 millimeters.
Want to hear something curious? Ever since it was presented as a concept, Honda hasn’t provided information on battery capacity, horsepower and torque figures, range estimates, or which of the axles is driven. Even if the Sports EV would make it into production with rear-wheel drive, packaging an electric motor into the rear axle of the Urban EV would eat into the capacity of the trunk.
The closest competitors to the Urban EV for the time being come from Volkswagen and smart in the guise of the e-up! and fortwo electric drive. The electric city car from Wolfsburg is much obliged to travel 160 kilometers between recharging. The one from Hambach has a maximum range of between 145 and 160 kilometers, depending on the number of options.
The pop-out door handles remind us of Land Rover, Jaguar, and Aston Martin, but as far as the wheelbase is concerned, the rear passenger won’t be too pleased with riding too long in the Urban EV. Both the headlights and taillights are round like in the good ol’ days of the automobile, boasting full-LED technology.
Another element that captured our attention is the cutout in the camouflage on the hood. On the concept, that’s where the electric charging cable connection is housed. Scheduled to enter production towards the end of 2019, the Urban EV is shorter than the Jazz by around 100 millimeters.
Want to hear something curious? Ever since it was presented as a concept, Honda hasn’t provided information on battery capacity, horsepower and torque figures, range estimates, or which of the axles is driven. Even if the Sports EV would make it into production with rear-wheel drive, packaging an electric motor into the rear axle of the Urban EV would eat into the capacity of the trunk.
The closest competitors to the Urban EV for the time being come from Volkswagen and smart in the guise of the e-up! and fortwo electric drive. The electric city car from Wolfsburg is much obliged to travel 160 kilometers between recharging. The one from Hambach has a maximum range of between 145 and 160 kilometers, depending on the number of options.
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