Honda hasn’t exactly been the first in line to develop electric vehicles over the past decade, but that’s no longer the case. Engineers are hard at work developing new battery electric vehicles and advanced gasoline-electric hybrids, and in order to test both in the real world, the company recently announced an expansive evaluation program in Japan.
According to a recent release, Honda will commence testing of a charging infrastructure, along with an array of EV and plug-in hybrid vehicles in Japan’s Kumamoto and Saitama regions, over the three-year study, engineers will investigate the viability of solar energy generation, along with other sources of renewable electricity. Usage trends will help the automaker and involved cities determine optimal places for permanent charging stations. An available smartphone application will also provide drivers with information about the nearest charging station, along with pertinent vehicle information (i.e. charge status, range estimates, etc).
Honda’s Japanese program involves a number of modes of electrified transport. Honda’s EV-neo electric scooters will be rented to local commuters and tourists through a vehicle sharing program, while engineers will investigate the viability of using Honda’s four-wheel MonPal ML200 electric buggy designed primarily to provide the elderly with low-speed mobility as a vehicle for short commutes.
Meanwhile, a number of larger electric vehicles including the Fit EV will be evaluated, although it’s unclear if Honda plans on providing these to the public via a similar car-sharing program, or if they’ll simply be evaluated by local fleets (i.e. utility companies, corporations, etc). The Fit EV, which uses a lithium-ion battery pack, can travel 159 KM on a single charge, and recharged in less than six hours with a 220-volt charger.
Honda Accord PHEV demonstrator has already been extended to the Kumamoto and Saitama areas. The plug-in hybrid can operate in three drive modes (EV, combustion engine, or a mixture of the two), but can drive up to 25 Kilometers on electricity alone. Honda’s design presently pairs a 2.0-liter Atkinson-cycle I-4 along with a pair of electric motors, which are powered by a 6 kWh lithium-ion battery. On a 220-volt supply, the car can be fully recharged in less than 1.5 hours.
