At the Los Angeles International Auto Show Honda unveiled an all-new Fit EV Concept electric vehicle saying it will go approximately 100 miles per charge, The company also debuted a new platform for a midsize plug-in hybrid vehicle.
The five-passenger Fit EV Concept is a hatchback design that will take six hours to recharge at 240 V, and 12 hours at 120 V.
According to Honda, the Fit EV Concept hints strongly at the direction and styling for its upcoming production Fit EV all-electric vehicle, which will be introduced to the U.S. and Japan in 2012.
The electric motor is derived from the FCX Clarity fuel cell electric vehicle and allows the Fit EV to have a top speed of 90 mph.
The Fit EV will achieve an estimated 100-mile driving range per charge using the US EPA LA4 city cycle (70 miles when applying EPA's adjustment factor). Driving range can be maximized by use of an innovative 3-mode electric drive system, adapted from the 2011 Honda CR-Z sport hybrid. The system allows the driver to select between Econ, Normal, and Sport to change the driving experience to maximize efficiency or improve acceleration. While in Econ mode, practical driving range can increase by as much as 17 percent, compared to driving in Normal mode, and up to 25 percent compared to driving in Sport mode. Acceleration improves significantly when in Sport mode, generating performance similar to a vehicle equipped with a 2.0-liter gasoline engine.
Battery recharging can be accomplished in less than 12 hours when using a conventional 120-volt outlet, and less than six hours when using a 240-volt outlet.
The all-new plug-in hybrid platform uses Honda's next-generation, two-motor hybrid technology set to debut in 2012. In all-electric mode, the vehicle uses a 6kWh lithium-ion battery and a 120 kW electric motor. The all-electric mode achieves a range of approximately 10-15 miles in city driving and a top speed of 62 mph. Fully recharging the battery will take 2 to 2.5 hours using a 120-volt outlet and 1 to 1.5 hours using a 240-volt outlet.
The vehicle can also run in a gasoline-electric hybrid mode, the platform features a 2.0-liter, i-VTEC inline 4-cylinder, Atkinson cycle engine, paired with an electric Continuously Variable Transmission (E-CVT). An onboard generator adds to the battery powering the electric motor.
For more efficient high-speed cruising, the vehicle can engage in a direct-drive mode, in which only the engine drives the front wheels.