Honda E | Test Drive

1 November 2021 Redazione News, Tested

HONDA E

E-XTRAORDINARY

Words Andrea Balti / Photos Richard Montagner

We have already tasted the Honda E, but personally I had not yet had the opportunity to deal with cables, range anxiety and the jaunty look of the small all-electric Japanese that makes so much drama around itself. To be honest, for an internal combustion enthusiast like myself, one of those who used to wake up early on weekends looking for a spot in a field to enjoy any rally competition that came around regardless of the weather conditions, it sounds difficult to imagine moving from home to the office without making even the slightest sound. But since it should be common intention to avoid leaving a handful of ashes to our great-grandchildren, it is good to open your horizons. Ok, but why me? The world will not end, at least not in the next hundred years!

Like all electric cars, the Honda E doesn’t want to save the world. Not alone. But if within a few years the possibility arises – in the United Kingdom it is already being defined – to move only in EV mode, then let’s make sure that we have an object that is able to transport us in a decent way and without necessarily having to give up all the involvement. My experience with the small Honda represents the most predictable encounter between a journalist passionate about old school engines and a car from the future, which combines business with pleasure, such as an aquarium with tropical fish you can even feed, simply by touching the touch screen in the middle of the dashboard.

This is not a traditional review on the car, you can easily find that on issue 88 (January / February 2021), but rather an unfiltered experience of someone like you, who for the first time is grappling with a world that is now overwhelmingly entered the contemporary automotive landscape. Its look inspires tenderness, it’s like looking at a puppy. So small, with those round eyes on both the front and rear. The two-tone bodywork gives it an appliance-like appearance, which is in part what it represents, being a tool used to move people and objects from one point to another. This is done in complete silence and without a shred of pollution, thanks to an electric motor with a 35.5 kWh battery that delivers the equivalent of 82 horsepower. Predictably, the torque curve of 315 Nm and the same specific power of the electric unit are released immediately, in this case only on the rear wheels. This means that the cute little E proves capable of snapping out of crossroads in a snap of fingers.

But be careful, because the small size – which however does not reflect a consistent weight and which exceeds a ton and a half – means that the energy that can be accumulated in the recharging phase and which will correspond to the kilometers that you can travel before the next stop, will be of about 210 km. In a petrolhead mind it means being close to the bottom of the tank and this is probably the biggest upheaval to face, it’s a bit like traveling on a tightrope, but in reality you only start to worry when the mileage left goes down to 40 or 30 kilometers. In this case, the on-board system will direct you to a nearby charging station and here comes the focal point of the electric cars topic: charging times.

Let’s delay that for a moment, because since I left and started driving, this Honda E has done nothing but surprise me positively. It is maneuvered in a handkerchief, is brilliant, has excellent grip and is like a big toy with infinite skills, first of all the involvement offered by a car body that is literally a boon in the city center. You park in a millisecond, sneak through traffic thanks to the total visibility of what is around you and when you leave urban centers, the elasticity of the electric motor and the possibility of regulating energy recovery (with a sort of brake engine) by the paddles on the steering wheel, practically offers two cars in one. It takes a few moments to get in tune with the calculations to be made, especially if you’re planning a trip out of town including a motorway stretch, then take into account that you must necessarily consider the time to fully recharge the battery pack.

In fact, if the charging stations are expanding like wildfire, those that will have reduced power are intended exclusively for emergencies. In this specific case, as from a domestic socket, to recharge 30 km it will take 3 hours, half the time and a cost of about €5 (for the moment, ed) from 20.7 kW chargers. All that remains is to rely on those with at least 60 kW, where in about 1 hour I managed to go from 20 km to 200, practically the full amount of energy that can be accumulated on the Honda E. These calculations and the indispensable use of the App or dedicated cards are not the evil that came from the future, but in a world where we are perpetually in a hurry and the time at our disposal is running out, passing from the few seconds necessary for a classic refueling to the half hours here – if not more – essential to pump energy, it can be discouraging. This is not the fault of electric cars though, but rather of infrastructures, which haven’t changed much after nine months since our previous test with the Honda E. Then it happens to find a charging station that is already busy, or not working and then panic takes over.

Fortunately, this is not the current scenario and after appreciating the dynamic qualities displayed on some b-roads, with rear-wheel drive that excludes the slightest hint of understeer, I have finally entered into complete harmony with a future that does not scare me as it was able to do until a few weeks ago. Of course the roar of an 8-cylinder can never be replaced, but the sensations experienced behind the wheel of the Honda E are anything but exclusively linked to the zero emissions fact that it offers as the main concept. In fact, it manages to entertain, to make you want to get on board and drive. And then, apart from the fact that you will go back practicing math, if life in the city does not intend to make constant traffic jams to go away, I will at least have time to feed my dear fishes, while listening to some good music and enjoying one of the coolest and most politically correct cockpits available on the market.

HONDA E

Engine Electric engine with 35,5 kWh battery (28,5 kWh useable) Range 210 km Power 60 kW (82 hp) Torque 315 Nm

Traction Rear wheel drive Transmission Automatic single-ratio gearbox Weight 1.595 kg

0-100 kph 8,3 sec Top Speed 145 kph Price €38.900