Published 11-09-2017
Honda has revealed its all-new electric vehicle at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show: the Urban EV Concept. Built on a new platform, the car leads the way for a production model to be sold in Europe from 2019.
The design is reminiscent of a performance vehicle, with wide proportions, low ground clearance and bold contours. But don’t be fooled by the exterior, the Urban EV Concept is 100mm shorter than the Jazz supermini.
Outward visibility is enhanced by super-slim A-pillars and a wide windscreen, while entering and exiting the vehicle is done via two rear-hinged coach doors. The car’s electric charging cable connection is housed in the bonnet. But our favourite feature has got to be the Honda emblem, backlit in blue at the front – a new design element to feature in future Honda EVs.
The car can comfortably fit four occupants – with style, we may add. The bench seats are upholstered and embellished with contemporary wood-finish accents. Fancy.
The dashboard is complemented by a wrap-around screen that extends behind the console and into the doors. The main dashboard screen offers a range of information about the vehicle, including remaining battery level, with extended door screens functioning as the car’s wing mirrors through digital camera displays.
And then there’s the tech: The on-board advanced Honda Automated Network Assistant acts as a personal concierge, learning from the driver’s actions and applying what it has learned to make new choices and recommendations, such as, “You’re sad. Let’s go to Nandos.” (OK, so we might have made that bit up, but you get the point – it’s smart.)
Plus, thanks to Honda’s brand-new Power Manager concept your Urban EV can soon start selling unspent energy, thus making you some extra cash.
So far, so futuristic, but wait until you get a load of this: the Urban EV Concept can display interactive multilingual messages between the front headlights, such as charging status, driving advice or, to quote the press release, “friendly greetings.”