The Honda EV+ is a purpose-built electric vehicle, not a conversion of an existing gasoline powered car. It is a two-door hatchback, with four seats. The rear seats fold down for increased cargo space. The car is built in the same Japanese plant as the Acura NSX sports car, and the quality of fit and finish on our car is excellent. Honda plans to lease about 400 EV+ cars in California in 1998 in order to evaluate the driving habits and customer lifestyles of potential EV owners. The EV+ is not for sale; it is available only through Honda's 36 month "Charter Lease Program."
Performance
Range: EPA city driving is 100 miles, highway 84 miles. Our real-world experience shows these numbers to be quite accurate. Acceleration: 0-30 in 4.9 seconds, 0-60 in 17 seconds (the car's performance is optimized for city driving, although freeway performance is also quite good). Top speed: 80+ mph (we've driven ours at 76 mph ... solid, and felt like there was still room to accelerate to pass if we needed).
Drivetrain / Batteries / Charging
Motor: high-efficiency, permanent magnet. Power output: 49kw (approx 66 hp) @ 1700-8500 rpm; torque is 275 Nm (203 lb.-ft... it loves hill climbing!) @ 0-1700 rpm. Batteries: 24 12-volt nickel-metal hydride (NiMH ... no "memory effect"). Transmission: 1 speed, direct drive. Charger: on board (110v or 220v power supply). Recharge time: 6-8 hours (220v from 80% discharge). Honda required EV+ owners to install a 220v regulated/isolated power supply in their garage for charging the vehicle (our installation cost was $1905.00).
Chassis / Suspension
Front wheel drive, unit-body construction w/integrated large cross-section straight frame rail. Front strut / rear beam suspension. Electric, variable power-assist rack and pinion steering. Grade-sensitive regenerative braking with ABS (regeneration allows you to "recapture" expended power on downhill runs by using the motor as a generator, thus extending the car's effective range). 14" alloy wheels with low-rolling resistance 195/65 R14 tires.
Comfort / Convenience
Power windows, door locks, mirrors, with automatic climate control for heating and cooling (the car has a "heat-pump" style climate system). AM/FM/CD; multi-function remote (you can "precondition" the cabin temperature or read how charged the batteries are from the remote!) with keyless entry to arm/disarm the security system. Heat-reflecting glass. A friendly walk-in feature for rear seat access (and a flat floor to increase rear seat legroom), with split-folding rear seatbacks.
Safety / Security
Dual airbags with 3-point belts at all seating positions. Theft-deterrent system. Underfloor battery pack layout is protected by frame rails. Isolated electric-power control systems. Intelligent crash-detection system disconnects all propulsion power. Energy-saving high-performance gas-discharge headlights.
Exterior / Interior Dimensions
Wheelbase: 99.6 inches. Length: 159.3 inches. Height: 64.2 inches. Width: 68.9 inches. Track (f/r): 59.1/58.7. Curb weight: 3,590 lbs. Headroom (f/r): 39.7/38.2 inches. Legroom (f/r): 41.9/34.2 inches (yes, you're reading that rear legroom correctly!). Shoulder room (f/r): 53.2/51.9 inches. Hiproom (f/r): 48.6/46.9 inches. Cargo space: 11.5 cu ft. Interior passenger volume: 89.1 cu ft. Carrying capacity: 700 lbs (passengers and cargo combined).
Lease Terms / Purchase
The Charter Lease Program is a 36 month, all-inclusive lease. The lease includes all maintenence, 24/7 roadside assistance, collision and comprehensive insurance (the lessee must provide liability insurance only), and use of a loaner if the car is kept for service. The Northern California lease price is currently $454/month, and there is no buy-out option at the end of the lease. The car carried a sticker price of $53,999, although you cannot purchase the car. The car is eligible for $4,000 in federal tax credits, and $5,000 in California and Bay Area tax incentives (Honda uses this $9,000 to reduce the lease price to $454/month).
We took possession of our EV+ on March 11 after a lengthy approval process. For the next 36 months, we were committed to living with electric transportation ... no fossil fuel car to fall back on. And so far, we're absolutely delighted with our green Honda EV+ driving experiences.
Trips We've Taken:
1) Just one week after we got the EV+, we took a full capacity (driver and three passengers) from San Francisco to San Mateo (about 45 miles round trip) for a dinner evening. The car was loaded to full weight capacity (about 700 lbs). Our driving was a mix of freeway, city, and suburban streets. Traffic was very light, giving us a "no stops and starts" advantage in range. On return to San Francisco, we had about 40% charge remaining. So weight is a decisive factor in the range of the car. A similar trip taken a week later with just the driver resulted in a 50% charge remaining. Useful info for planning trips with friends along!
2) Emboldened by our San Mateo outing, we planned a Saturday trip down the Pacific Coast Highway (US 1) from San Francisco to Half Moon Bay. Just a driver and single passenger, this was a 66 mile round trip. Our driving was a mix of city, suburban, and rural roads. We had to climb over the coastal range of mountains in San Mateo county (we travelled by the Skyline Road through Pacifica to US 1 route). Our fairly steep climbs were matched by similar descents, giving us a regenerative braking advantage in range. On return to San Francisco, we had about 30% charge remaining. This trip (which we've now done twice) has given us confidence to plan our next trip: an overnight outing to Dillon Beach (about 60 miles from home) where we will have to rely on our 110v charger to provide sufficient charge for our return home! Details here when we take the trip in early June.
3) We tried a little experiment in charging the EV+ on 110v: we discharged the batteries to about 50% charge, then hooked up our car to 110v instead of 220v. Twenty hours of charging later, we were at 90% charge. Talk about slow! But considering the 110v charger draws a meager 12 amps instead of the 220v charger which draws 20 amps, the 110v charger is still "workable" for upcoming trip. Remember that the 110v charger had to be designed to work with a 15 amp household circuit!
4) Found a very cool mapping resource available for free on the web: from Lucent Technologies, MapsOnUs. I used it to plot shortest route, fastest route, and scenic route from our home address to the house we're renting up north. It plotted fairly accurate maps, and gave me confidence that the scenic route we're planning is well within the capability of the EV+.
5) On Friday, June 5, we set out from San Francisco to drive north to Dillon Beach, CA. According to MapsOnUs, this would be a 61.6 mile trip each way. Since we were renting a house and staying for the weekend, we'd have plenty of time to charge on 110v. We chose the scenic route, across the Golden Gate Bridge to US1, driving along the scenic Pacific Ocean cliffs in Marin county, along the eastern shore of Tomales bay. This route is a mix of urban streets, freeway, two-lane road, and at elevations ranging from sea-level to about +1500 feet. The route is extremely twisty, and very hilly. The sun came out as we drove through the Marin headlands, and the day was spectacular as we reached Stinson Beach. Almost no traffic, so we took our time driving north. We stopped for lunch at the quaint Angel Cafe in Tomales where we met up with our friends with whom we were sharing the house. We averaged 10.1 miles per bar (1 bar = nominal 10% of charge) over the actual 64.2 miles of the trip. On arrival at the rental house, I discovered that all three 110v wall plugs in the garage were dead ... and no breaker box in view. I lowered the garage door, and then unplugged the garage door opener from the ceiling outlet, and plugged in the EV+ for a 110v charge. Glad I remembered to bring a long 10-gauge extension cord!
The weather steadily worsened over the weekend. Dillon Beach is at the mouth of Tomales bay, and its windswept terrain reminded me of Nova Scotia's Cape Breton. Our house was atop a hill overlooking the small town. We were surrounded by deer each morning and at sunset as they foraged in the yard for grass. It turned out to be a good weekend for cozying up with a good novel and watching the weather roll through. After 24 hours, the EV+ was at 90% charge; I thought "why not just leave it plugged in and see if we can level it out to 100%?" After 44 hours, the EV+ was still at 90%, leading me to conclude that you'll never hit 100% charge on 110v and 1kw charging.
We set out Sunday afternoon for our return to San Francisco. The weather was misty, cool, and belts of fog were rolling through the hills as we began our drive. The mists soon turned to a light rain as we headed south on US1. The fog and light rain lent an ethereal air to our trip in the EV+. Gliding silently down the road, along precipitous cliffs and through stands of eucalyptus trees, slicing through the mist, we were inspired to listen to the CD "Duality" by and Pieter Bourke. The enchanting rhythms combined with Lisa's haunting voice really made the drive an "other-worldly" experience, and the EV+ sound system made an otherwise dreary trip a genuine adventure. In fact, Blue and I agreed that the trip home in the EV+ was one of our best road-trips ever! Traffic was again light, and we averaged 10.2 miles per bar on the return trip, arriving home with just under a 30% charge remaining.
6) Thank heavens for the ABS brakes in the EV+! On my way to work this morning, some drug-crazed idiot cab driver from San Francisco's Yellow Cab Coop ran a stop sign and I nearly broad-sided the cab. I would have hit the cab squarely on the rear right side. His "fare" had her arms up over her face in an "oh no!" I panic stopped ... no time to think about doing anything other than slamming on the brakes. The EV+ stopped quickly, in a straight line with no fishtailing. The cabbie didn't bother to stop (of course), despite the fact that I missed him by about 3 or 4 inches. Once my heart rate returned to normal, the EV+ and I continued on our way. I'm glad we didn't have to test the airbags.
7) We're remodelling the bathroom at home, and the EV+ has been pressed into use as a Home Depot shuttle. Yesterday, I folded down the back seats and managed to squeeze in a new toilet and seat, bathroom sink, vanity cabinet, towel bars, shower curtain rod, two cartons of ceramic tile, and a couple gallons of paint. There was even room left over for a front seat passenger! The EV+ has lots of flexible space. We routinely make a Costco and grocery store run on the same trip.
Written by: Dan's Honda EV+ Page
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