Honda Fit EV @ autoblog.com So how many months delay for this one? Mods, please delete or merge if duplicate. I searched for "Honda EV".
Some quotes from a LEAF forum: My Nissan Leaf Forum View topic - 2013 Honda Fit availble summer 2012, $36,625 lease only
I got to drive one today. It's a pre-production unit, but the fit and finish seemed quite well done. (I don't like to ramble, but I gathered so much info that I may...) Car: I liked that the eco/normal/sport mode buttons were top level. The dash displays changed color depending on mode (sport was a cool red!). The power flow meter was a nice big analog dial (*). I didn't play with HVAC at all (was concentrating on trying al three driving modes!) but the interior seemed pretty straight forward econo-box to me. In Sport mode, acceleration was reasonable (I've got a high bar ;-) and chirped the tires (FWD) - so I asked, and yes, it's got traction control. Steering was tight and competent. The batteries are under the floor, so F/R balance is good and the car seems sure-footed. It was a very short drive, so I didn't get a chance to look at the displays much. Go pedal response is nice and low-latency like for all EVs, which is top-of-the-class in this car's segment. The battery is a bit small, and I was getting ~250wH/mi (the internal display is in mi/kWh - makes it easy to do your own miles left calc, I guess, if, unlike most Americans, you can actually do math in your head - I had no highway miles, predefined 5 minute course). Blended braking program (stupid automatic slushboxes have ruined what people expect, gah...). (*) In spite of the big power gauge, I could not tell when I had maxed out regen and had dipped into friction (augh!). I think all the rationalizations for blended are all bogus... Yes, it's lease to start with - they want battery data and so this is their toe in the water. 'From things I've gathered' it seems like Honda really did expect hydrogen to go better, and so are caught a little short on battery tech and knowledge. The battery under the floor raises things a bit - headroom is the same, so the car is slightly taller than it's non-EV cousin, but it's still shorter than the Leaf (not sure compared to the Focus EV). The Fit is better looking than both. 6.6kW charger, no chademo (screw it, NeXT got away with the capitalization crap because it was Steve, chademo deserves no such respect for the lame socket design) in the U.S., they're waiting to see what SAE comes up with (I'm guessing this may be a small factor in the lease thing). Socket location is just in front of the driver door. The claim is seventy-ish 'real world', but with the battery size in there, I'm not so sure. I'd guess it's even with the Focus - smaller battery, but slightly more efficient. In all aspects and intents, is really is a regular Fit that's a very competent EV, and so, like all EVs, it just drives better. It's hard to compare it to the Volt - I think it drove better at least in part because it's a pure EV and isn't lugging dead weight around. They've done a really nice job, I wish they were more aggressive about getting to selling it, it would actually be a nice 'competitor' for the Leaf. (I still think the EV segment will get much larger with more validation).
Brad Berman spoke at a recent LEAF owner's gathering. He expressed similar sentiments. An article he did from the trip to Japan where he drove it: First Drive: Honda Fit EV Combines Power and Practicality | PluginCars.com I figured GFleet would have one by now...
I owned a Honda Fit for over five years before trading it in for a Nissan Leaf. As wonderful as the Leaf is, I loved my Fit. I love small cars with great acceleration, but I also need storage space. I like to fold the back seats down for carrying things. The storage capability on the Fit is remarkable for such a small car. With the seats folded down the gas powered Fit's cargo room is 57.3 cu ft. For comparison, the Nissan Leaf has 24 cu ft, the Chevy Volt has 18 cu ft, the Mitsubishi i-car has 50.4 cu ft, and the Tesla Model S has 66 cu ft. The following link discusses cargo space in various EVs and hybrids. Best Electric-Car Cargo Space: 2012 Nissan Leaf, 2012 Toyota Plug-in Prius If the EV version of the Fit retains the storage space, can match the range of the Leaf, and give me the great acceleration I love, I'd be tempted to trade in my Leaf. Let's hope Honda can get over their lease only, limited production, fear of the EV marketplace.
So, for Earth Day at Google, I sat in the Honda Fit EV for an hour answering questions as others got to drive it. It really reaffirmed my thoughts - this is the 'low-cost' EV that's going to be tough to beat. It's light, airy, handles well, and is just plain fun. With the three buttons on the dash for instantly changing the drive mode between eco/normal/sport, to the 'D' and 'B' gear selector positions (B puts regen on the go pedal), and I encouraged everybody to try sport at least a little bit ;-), the Fit has a wonderful personality. If you test drove the gas and the EV version of the Fit back to back, I suspect most people would really have a hard time going for the gas version if they could afford the EV and deal with the range. The only storage missing (from one of the drivers who has a Fit) is under the rear seats, where he said there was a storage compartment in his. Otherwise, it's all the same. The Fit, even with a slightly smaller battery, is more efficient than the Leaf, so is getting 76miles on the EPA cycle. I feel comfortable with Honda's assertion that it's got better range than the Leaf across the board. I suspect that's Honda's long experience with hybrid and FCEV components.
I know the lease thing very controversial back in the day, but I THINK I can see a reasonable position for having it. On the upside, EVs are getting so much traction that it's unlikely they'd try to just kill the program, and even if they did there's EVs available from other automakers.
http://www.autoblog.com/2012/06/29/2013-honda-fit-ev-first-drive-review-video/ Should be a lot of press on this today
Honda dropped the price on the Fit EV Lease substantially today: http://automobiles.honda.com/news/press-releases-article.aspx?Article=7222-en 36-month lease only, but the new pricing is very competitive compared to other manufacturers. Anyone here driven one?
Wow! $259 a month, no down payment, routine maintenance included, unlimited mileage, and a free level 2 charger. This is a great deal, and they are going to see a drastic increase in sales. I wonder if Honda is simply desperate for ZEV credits, or if they are suddenly serious about the EV market.
I initially assumed this was only offered on the west coast (CA, OR). Interesting that they are expanding to the east coast as well.
States that have adopted the ZEV mandate include: California, Connecticut, D.C., Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island and Vermont No surprise, complete overlap with the states the the Fit EV is offered in.