Honda E:Ny1 Debuts in Europe

Honda raised the curtain for its second all-electric model for the European market this week. The e:Ny1 is an atrociously named battery-powered crossover that serves as the electrified counterpart to the Euro-spec HR-V. While not a formal debut, the Japanese manufacturer is teasing the EV’s design language and offering up some relevant details — perhaps foreshadowing things to come in North America.

Truth be told, small battery electric vehicles haven’t gotten an abundance of love in the United States. Consumers seem to prefer electrics with a premium bend. However, models like the Volkswagen ID.4 appear to be seeing higher demand as the months roll on. Maybe there would be room for something like the e:Ny1 in a few more years.

Utilizing Honda’s e:N Architecture F, the front-drive crossover has a chassis specifically designed for electric vehicles that’s supposed to be quite rigid. It also keeps the battery mounted low, creating a center of gravity ideal for pleasurable driving dynamics.

With an expected output of 201 horsepower and 229 lb-ft of torque, that sounds like a winning recipe for such a small vehicle. But we cannot forget that battery packs are exceptionally heavy and we don’t yet have any acceleration numbers. Your author has found small EVs boasting similar levels of torque to be quite a bit of fun around town. But they typically begin to lose their appeal when you begin approaching highway speeds.

The 68.8-kWh, lithium-ion battery is said to offer 256 miles of range on the overly generous WLTP cycle. American customers are going to want more than that because we cover more ground per day than the Europeans and our EPA will undoubtedly certify the e:Ny1 for fewer miles between charges. Though it is supposed to recoup energy relatively swiftly with DC fast charging — getting the battery from 10 to 80 percent in a claimed 45 minutes.

Honda’s design team has been on a roll of late, providing tastefully handsome models. The e:Ny1 borrows most of its design from the European HR-V. But it has a unique grille and little touches all around the exterior to distinguish itself from the gasoline and hybrid crossover. For example, rather than slapping an H on the tailgate, Honda opted to spell its name out in a font it seems to be receiving for EVs.

The interior likewise manages to be traditional, with just enough unique touches to differentiate itself from gasoline-powered models. The only real downside seems to be how heavily reliant controls seem to be on the touchscreen interface. There aren’t a lot of physical buttons in the cabin and all instrumentation comes by way of stuck-on digital tablets. While trendy, this is also one of the ways automakers cut manufacturing costs.

For now, the odds of the model making its way to North America seem relatively slim. Demand doesn’t seem to be high enough to rationalize such a move and Honda seems much more focused on pushing EVs in Europe and Asia. In fact, the e:Ny1 seems to be a carbon copy of the Chinese-market e:NS1.

“The e:Ny1 is the logical next step on our electrification journey in Europe,” stated Tom Gardner, Senior Vice President at Honda Motor Europe. “Our development philosophy blends intelligent, customer-centric technology with beautiful design and fun-to-drive dynamics. This latest SUV exemplifies Honda’s commitment to electrification and is the latest step on Honda’s electrification journey.”

It probably isn’t the vehicle for us. Not until EV acceptance increases and the maximum range of small battery electric vehicles improve. However, we wouldn’t mind seeing some of the exterior design elements migrating over to some of the products already sold here.

[Images: Honda]

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