Now that it’s joined the EV party, Honda arrived at the Los Angeles Auto Show with an electric Fit concept. The car, shown for the first time in L.A., “hints strongly at the direction and styling” of the Fit EV we’ll see in 2012. It draws on technology from the Honda FCX Clarity fuel cell vehicle and the Honda CR-Z hybrid.

“Great utility and fun to drive,” Ito said, according to the Los Angeles Times. “These are hallmarks for the five-passenger Honda Fit. That’s what makes this a pefect fit.”

Honda was long on promises and short on details about the car, which sports a coaxial electric motor based on the one in the Clarity. No specs on the lithium-ion battery, but Honda said it’s good for 100 miles on the LA4 cycle. It recharges in six hours when plugged into a 240-volt socket.

To maximize range, the Fit EV uses a three-mode drive system adapted from the CR-Z. Each mode — econ, normal and sport — adjusts acceleration (and probably the level of regenerative braking) to optimize mode. Honda says econ mode extends range 17 percent over normal mode and 25 percent over sport mode. Sport mode offers performance on-par with a 2.0-liter gasoline engine. Top speed is limited to 90 mph to maximize range.

Honda also will include several “interactive coaching systems” to help drivers maximize range. Look for a riff on the Eco Assist gauge in the Honda Insight.

The Fit EV shared space with a three-mode plug-in hybrid platform that could appear in a mid-sized sedan in 2012. It features a 6 kilowatt-hour lithium ion pack and a 120 kilowatt (160 horsepower) electric motor. In electric mode, the system can go 10 to 15 miles at up to 62 mph. Charging the battery takes 60 to 90 minutes when plugged into a 240-volt socket.

The vehicle also can run in gas-electric motor, with the 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine and continuously variable transmission joining the motor in propelling the car. For more efficient high-speed cruising, the engine drives the wheels directly.

Honda is still betting hydrogen is The Answer, but Ito told the Detroit News, “for urban commuting, our approach is for a battery-powered vehicle.” We’ll see Fit EV prototypes testing in California, under partnerships with Google and Stanford University, later this year.

Photo: Honda

See Also:

• To Maximize Your EV’s Range, Think of Eggs
• EV Days Are Here Again
• 11 Trailblazing Electric Vehicles
• Peek Inside the Chevrolet Volt Factory
• Honda Is the Greenest Automaker … Again
• No Honda Fit Hybrid For You!

Authors: Chuck Squatriglia

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