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- Global motor show debut for pure-electric Honda concept car
- Modern interior environment includes wrap-around panoramic dashboard screen
- Sets the direction for a future Honda production model scheduled for 2019
Honda has
revealed an all-new electric vehicle, the Urban EV Concept, at the 2017
Frankfurt Motor Show. The concept car is built on a completely new platform,
and sets the direction for the technology and design that will appear on a
future battery electric Honda production model.
For the past
few weeks Honda would not release photos of what would show the press. Some
photos we had were not what was the end product which we like.
The concept
was officially introduced by Honda Motor Co. President and CEO, Takahiro
Hachigo, during his press conference speech. “This is not some vision of the
distant future; a production version of this car will be here in Europe in
2019,” he added, confirming that the concept is set to be launched within two
years.
Honda’s Urban
EV Concept showcases advanced technology within a simple and sophisticated
design. Its low and wide proportions give the car a planted, muscular stance
that hint at sporty driving performance. Its compact proportions mean it has a
total vehicle length 100mm shorter than the Jazz supermini. Yes looks like a
Mini but the design helps handling and storage of the skatebiard battery packs.
The Honda
emblem on the concept is backlit in blue, which previews a new styling feature
for the company‘s future EVs. At the front of the car, interactive multilingual
messages can be displayed between the headlights, including greetings, advice
for other drivers on the road, or charging status updates.
The driver’s
outward visibility from the Urban EV Concept is excellent thanks to slim
A-pillars and a wide windscreen that appears to sweep around the entire front
of the car. Entry and exit from the vehicle is via rear-hinged coach doors. The
electric charging cable connection is housed on the bonnet.
Honda’s Urban
EV Concept can accommodate four occupants, across two bench seats finished in
different materials. To create a lounge feeling, the front row is upholstered
with natural grey fabric, with the seat backs, squabs and arm rests embellished
with contemporary wood finish accents. The seatbelts for the rear bench are
fixed in the middle of the seat, allowing the belt to retract out of the way
before a passenger exits the car.
The same wood
finish wraps around a large ‘floating’ dashboard console. This houses the
steering wheel column, a set of simple control buttons, and a panoramic display
screen. The dashboard itself is completed by a wrap-around screen that runs
behind the console and extends into the doors. The main dashboard screen
presents a range of vehicle information including remaining battery level.
Whilst the extended door screens function as the car’s wing mirrors through
digital camera displays.
Honda’s Urban
EV Concept showcases the company’s vision for a world where mobility and daily
life are seamlessly linked. The on-board advanced Honda Automated Network
Assistant acts as a personal concierge, which learns from the driver by
detecting emotions behind their judgments. It can then apply what it has learnt
from the driver’s past decisions to make new choices and recommendations.
New methods
for managing energy transfers between the grid, homes and electric vehicles
could provide revenue opportunities for EV owners in the future. Honda’s Power
Manager Concept, revealed alongside the Urban EV Concept in Frankfurt, is a
smart system that can store energy more efficiently, releasing electricity
generated by renewable sources back into the home or selling it back to the
grid.
Honda’s
‘Electric Vision’ strategy, launched at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show, includes
the development of a dedicated electric vehicle platform, featuring
fully-electric powertrain technology. Key parts of the powertrain development
will include a high-density, lightweight battery pack, integrated heat
management and the evolution of energy transfer functions – both to and from
the vehicle.
Honda used the “Urban” designation for a
concept it revealed in Frankfurt
two years ago. time relying on the sort of battery-electric driveline that many
European cities are expected to require in the not-too-distant future? France,
the U.K. and Norway all have laid out plans to ban the sale of internal
combustion-powered vehicles over the next decade or so, and even Germany, home
of the Autobahn is considering that strategy. Individual cities could go a step
further and ban even existing IC-powered models from entering urban cores.
The money is
betting that the Honda Urban EV Concept will use a lithium-ion battery pack but
that leaves a lot of questions open. What sort of range would it be targeting,
for example? While there’s an industry-wide push for electric vehicles getting
200 miles or more per charge, some advocates believe there will still be an
urban market for vehicles in the 100-mile range. Indeed, that’s about what is
being targeted by the Smart Vision EQ Fortwo concept Daimler is debuting in
Frankfurt.
BRUCE HUBBARD
BRADLEY HUBBARD
BONNIE LYNCH
AUTO ADVISOR GROUP
MOTORING TIMES
BEST DRIVES
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