Honda Urban EV Near Production Ready Prototype

It's almost here

It's highly lauded but very rare when an automaker can take a concept and bring it to market with little to almost zero changes made to the model. Honda has done just that with the Urban EV that debuted to the world as a concept back in 2017 and was filled with tech that rivals that of the Model 3 Tesla and a snappy CRX-ish exterior design. 

It's very glowy

Honda says that this stage of the prototype you see above is "98% finished" with production starting later this year and sales following soon after. There is still no mention of what the price will be, but we could see Honda aggressively pricing this to slightly undercut the cheapest Model 3 and dig into the market. 

>>Join the conversation about Honda's Urban EV right here in Honda-Tech.com.

Next generation of VTEC?

The Urban EV, for the present time being called the E Prototype, sits on a brand spanking new rear wheel drive EV platform for some lively torque-y fun. The E Prototype is almost 4 inches shorter than a Honda Jazz but conversely is also wider for more grip. There are no numbers on hand about battery size but the WLTP certified range will be about 125 miles. 

>>Join the conversation about Honda's Urban EV right here in Honda-Tech.com.

Ready to roll

Part of how Honda managed to bring this concept car to production so effortlessly, lies in how the whole car was planned out. The engineers at Honda took the Prototype E and built it first as a real-world production car in which to show the brass a the company as a proof of concept. Then, the car was rolled out to the press and public in order to guage how popular it would be. The plan worked and was a success with the Urban EV being greenlit for production before its 2017 debut was even finished. 

>>Join the conversation about Honda's Urban EV right here in Honda-Tech.com.

You gotta make some changes

The areas where bits of the Urban EV concept dropped off for the Prototype E car are the 20-inch wheels will now be standard 16s or optional 17s. The taillights on the concept were square circle designs that are now just circular LEDs. However, there are pieces that will be making it to market such as side cameras that will function as side mirrors but feeding right to a couple of screens on the outer edge of the dash. The side cameras are within the car's footprint so don't worry about knocking them off in tight corridors. 

>>Join the conversation about Honda's Urban EV right here in Honda-Tech.com.

It's sleek

The front door handles are flush but will pop out when you press them so as to reduce drag on the car at speed. The interior of the car was made to mimic a lounge with flat seats made from recycled polyester and screens galore for the passenger infotainment. There is a screen for the rear view mirror, screens for the side cameras, and two connected 12-inch touchscreens right in the center of the dash.

The only negative we've seen so far is the lack of space. There is no storage space in the trunk and only a small amount of space with a high floor in the rear. 

>>Join the conversation about Honda's Urban EV right here in Honda-Tech.com.

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