Promoted | Honda e: designed to use every day

While crafting the new Honda e, Honda’s designers made a vow to “question everything” – especially when it came to thinking about how a city-focused all-electric car is used on the sort of trips we make each and every day. 

What sort of journeys will the driver take? How far and how often? When will they want to top up the battery, where, and for how long?

Honda also used the clean-sheet design opportunity of the all-electric Honda e – no big engine up-front, no big fuel tank in the rear, and efficient ways to package the battery – to re-think how the interior of a car is used. Who will the driver be taking with them? What sort of luggage? How will they use in-car technology?

The end result is a Honda e that not only offers more range and easier recharging, but also a more spacious, streamlined and calming interior. We’ve already told you how much fun the Honda e is to drive, but how practical is it to use every day?

Turn on, plug in, tune out

It all starts with a battery that has been designed to offer more range, as well as faster and easier on-the-go charging – perfect for quick trips to the heart of the city, as well as long days further afield.

The Honda e’s 35.5kWh high-capacity lithium-ion battery is water-cooled to maximise its efficiency and minimise its size, letting it offer up to 136 miles of range between charges, while also keeping the Honda e light and nimble on city streets. 

Its easy-access charging port is integrated into the bonnet – letting you simply park ‘nose-in’ to electric charge points – while an at-a-glance LED display lets you see the charging status without having to get inside the car and turn the power on.

And, when it comes to charging, you’ve got a choice: fast-charging to 80% in as little as 30 minutes using the CCS2 DC rapid-charge connection when you’re on the go, or using the Type 2 AC connection to charge the Honda e at a slower and more cost-efficient pace overnight when you’re at home.

Go the distance

All of that means the Honda e fits perfectly into your lifestyle. After all, most urban journeys are less than 10 miles (giving you up to 13 trips a week before you need to recharge), while even the average long commute of 30 miles gives you four trips between charges. Equally, 30 minutes of rapid charging easily fits into the time it takes to do the weekly food shop, go to the gym, or have a meal and go see a film.

If you do need to go further, the Honda e’s 136 miles of range is enough to get you from London to Bath, from Birmingham to Blackpool, or from Edinburgh to Aberdeen – with a fast-growing network of public chargers that is there to back you up if you do need to go those few miles more.

Think of using the Honda e like using a mobile phone – grazing between little doses of charge when you’re on the move, then giving the battery a big top up overnight when you’re not using it or you’re planning a longer journey.

A high-tech, luxurious interior

Everyday practicality isn’t just about range, though. Thanks to the fact that the Honda e’s batteries are neatly stored flat and low-down in the chassis – with no large engine up-front, and no fuel tank in the rear – means that there’s more room inside.

Honda has used this opportunity to create a more spacious cabin for the Honda e, with an interior that is more contemporary, high-tech and modern, while also feeling more refined, homely and luxurious.

The Honda e’s calm, serene and airy feel is boosted by a sky roof that lets more light into the car, while the absence of a centre console – a wonderful consequence of not needing a gear lever, thanks to seamless electric power delivery  – means there’s more legroom for the driver and front passenger. There’s also more legroom in the rear, making the Honda e one of the most spacious cars in its class.

It’s all allied to a mix of traditional wood and fabric surfaces that makes the Honda e’s interior feel more reminiscent of a lounge than a car. But, at the heart of it all, is a distinctively high-tech and contemporary full-width five-screen digital dashboard that stretches right across the car, letting driver and passenger view independent apps or share information between them with a simple swipe.

All combined, the Honda e’s interior provides a calm, serene and connected environment that insulates you from the hustle and bustle of the world outside, while also putting you full in control. Eminently practical, indeed.