Honda begins sales of all-electric Fit EV

Honda began development work on an electric vehicle in the latter half of the 1980s. The Honda EV Plus was unveiled in 1996, with leases beginning in 1997 in both Japan and the US.

Later, Honda further refined its electromotive technologies, adapting motor-drive, high-voltage battery, and various other advanced technologies for use in its development of fuel cell electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles. Honda is currently developing plug-in hybrid and battery-powered EVs as intermediate steps toward the introduction of a fuel cell electric vehicle—the ultimate in environmentally responsible technology.

Honda unveiled its battery-powered Fit EV Concept electric vehicle at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November 2010, and a production version of the same model, the Fit EV, at the same show a year later.  In summer 2012, Honda began leasing in Japan and the U.S.¹ the Fit EV as an environmentally responsible commuter vehicle that emits no CO₂ while in operation.

The Fit EV combines the gasoline-powered Fit's world-renowned Honda-original packaging and utility with motor technologies developed for the FCX Clarity (Honda's fuel cell electric vehicle, the ultimate environmentally responsible automobile) for excellent acceleration and nimble maneuvering in city traffic. In June 2012, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency gave the Fit EV the highest efficiency rating of any electric car on the U.S. market, with a consumption rating² of 29 kWh/100 miles³ and a mile-per-gallon-equivalency rating⁴ of 118 MPGe.

Honda began demonstration testing on the Fit EV protoype in Japan (Saitama and Kumamoto prefectures) and the U.S. (Torrence, California) in 2010 and in China in 2011 to verify its effectiveness in reducing CO₂ emissions and to further research its potential as the personal mobility technology of the future. 

Later, in November 2011, nine Japanese companies⁵ agreed to establish the Charging Network Development Organization, LLC to promote widespread public adoption of electric vehicles by helping to expand EV quick-charging infrastructure.

That December, at the Tokyo Motor Show 2011, Honda unveiled the EV-STER, a next-generation small sports concept electric vehicle. The EV-STER is a an electric rear-wheel-drive two-seat convertible sports car that offers new ways to enjoy a sports-type model. Adopting carbon materials helped reduce the vehicle's weight, contributing to a higher driving performance and extended range of approximately 160 km. Honda is striving to put more customers in the driver's seat of environmentally responsible products like these to do its part in reducing global CO₂ emissions.

1. Leased in California and Oregon in summer 2012, with plans to begin leasing on the U.S. east coast in 2013.
2. Calculated based on cruising distance and the amount of alternating current electricity needed to recharge the battery. Consumption rating determined based on testing conditions set by the U.S. and varies depending on individual driving habits, operating conditions, and other factors.
3. A combined city/highway adjusted rating
4. Miles per gallon gasoline equivalent uses 33.7 kWh as the amount of electrical energy that is equivalent to one gallon of gasoline.
5. Ulvac, Inc., Kanematsu Corporation, Kandenko Co., Ltd., Suzuyo Shoji Co., Ltd., Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc., Toyota Motor Corporation, Development Bank of Japan Inc., Honda Motor Co., Ltd., and Mitsubishi Motors Corporation