Fit EV and Plug-In Hybrid concept

[MN Driver]

Apparently I'm locked out of posting to the Insight and Honda news section of the forums so this post is going to be here in the Other Honda Hybrids section incorrectly.

Take a look here for some cool information just released during the LA Auto show from Honda.
Honda Fit EV Concept - Official Site

The Fit EV concept is a 5 passenger, car using the motor from the FCX Clarity. It says it features a 3-mode drive system(Eco, Normal, Sport). 100 mile range target for the US EPA LA4 city cycle.

The site talks about a remote that lets you communicate with the car without a cellular signal. I really like this idea because that would let someone without a smartphone and data plan to use the functions such as turning the heat or cooling on from the grid before getting into the car or to initiate charging or likely other functions too.

Aimed for a 2012 release.

On the same site there is a link to a plug-in hybrid with a two-mode hybrid system in a mid-size sedan. 10-15 miles on all-electric up to 62mph followed by a 2 liter Atkinson i-VTEC 4 cylinder. eCVT and a 'direct drive' engine mode where only the engine drives the wheels. It sounds to me that Honda is finally going the planetary CVT transmission route just like Toyota, Ford, and GM are all doing at this point with their hybrids. Hopefully the 2 cylinder can get decent gas mileage, seems a little big to me for efficient performance.

Hopefully the Fit EV comes at an affordable price around where the Nissan Leaf is at now.

[davidhill]

An EV range of 10-15 miles? They couldn't give me one. If I was the guy in charge and my team built this I would fire them all. What is the curb weight? Drag? No mention of these means they left out the fundamentals of economy. Hence, a car which is a joke.

[MN Driver]

Originally Posted by davidhill

An EV range of 10-15 miles? They couldn't give me one. If I was the guy in charge and my team built this I would fire them all. What is the curb weight? Drag? No mention of these means they left out the fundamentals of economy. Hence, a car which is a joke.

It's a concept, so those fundamentals don't exist, maybe on a prototype but concept cars don't. The EV range of 10-15 miles is more or less what the Prius plug-in is doing, so it seems that Honda is more or less following Toyota on this one. I agree, the EV range should be closer to what someone actually drives on a daily basis. I think the Volt's ~40 miles is closer to what an electric-priority Plug-in hybrid should be rather than a smaller number like 10-15 that will typically be doubled in distance by most people on their commute. I don't see how the 2 liter 4 cylinder is going to produce decent gas mileage outside of that electric range.

The Fit EV seems to be a much better option, I'll keep my eyes on that.