Honda rolls out more information on the Honda EV Concept

While the Honda EV (shown on the right) looks like a dressed up Honda Fit, there is no indication as to whether or not this zero emission electric vehicle will sport the Fit name when it reaches the US market or if it will have its own unique name. We do know that the Honda EV Concept (or whatever the production version is called) will be powered by a lithium ion battery system and a coaxial electric motor derived from the one used in the Honda FCX Clarity fuel cell vehicle.

The drivetrain of the Honda EV Concept will allow the driver to select three different driving modes – Economy, Normal and Sport – to provide the ideal balance of power and efficiency for every driving condition. A similar version of this system was introduced in the US on the CR-Z Hybrid to offer optimized performance for the driving conditions. When Economy mode is selected, the Honda EV Concept will have a range of roughly 100 miles while acceleration and top speed is hindered. When the driver selects Normal mode, the Honda EV will offer better performance while offering roughly 17% less range (that would mean that it could go about 83 miles on a charge) and when shifted into Sport mode, the EV Concept will reach a top speed of 90 miles per hour but the range is chopped down to roughly 75 miles.

The Honda EV also features an assist program that coaches the driver to maximize efficiency based on the selected driving mode, including letting the driver know when to turn off certain accessories to increase the battery range. Once the battery has been run down, the Honda EV Concept will fully recharge in “less than 12 hours” with a standard 120V line and hooking up to the 240V charging station will cut charge time to under 6 hours.

Unfortunately, in addition to not giving any idea as to what the Honda EV Concept will be called once it reaches production, Honda hasn’t offered any idea as to when those production models will reach showrooms around the world. Based on what other EV-makers have done, the Honda EV (or Honda Fit EV, as it could be called) will first hit certain American markets followed by a full scale roll out later in 2012.

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