A Honda E electric car is seen at Brussels Motor Show on Jan 9, 2020. – REUTERSPIXAs many automakers bet on sedans and SUVs in the switch to electric vehicles , Japan's Honda Motor Co Ltd has decided smaller is better for its first-ever mass-produced all-battery car.
High battery costs have kept EVs at the premium end of the car market, and many automakers are developing bigger, all-purpose models, some of which can drive as far as 570 kilometres on a single charge. "Most EVs use large capacity batteries, but often, much of that capacity goes unused during city driving," said Tomofumi Ichinose, chief engineer of the Honda e, told reporters earlier this week.
With a retro, ultra-compact design evoking Honda's classic N360 and N600 models from the 1960s, the two-door Honda e is intended as an upmarket city car, whose price tag of around €33,000 is higher than Renault's Zoe ZE50, which is roomier and has a longer driving range.