Honda e order book opens in Europe

Honda has opened the order book on its pint-sized ‘e’ electric hatch.

The Honda e is now available to residents of the UK, Germany, France and Norway. A refundable £800 ($A1470) gets you in the queue for Honda’s tech-savvy and sporty rear-wheel drive hatch.

By comparison, hundreds of Aussie buyers placed a similar amount with Tesla ($A1500) three years ago, to be among the first Telsa Model 3 owners.

Honda quotes a 0-100km/h time of 8.0sec and a top speed of 150km/h for its pint-sized EV. Total system power is listed at 100kW/250Nm.

Available to order via a Tesla-style on-line reservation system, the e is among the first of Honda’s all-electrified range. Honda says it is committed to offering electrification across 100 per cent of its European range by 2025.

The zero emissions e rides on Honda’s first dedicated EV platform and promises 193km range from its ‘fast charge’ battery. The 30kWh battery can be charged to 80 per cent capacity in 28 minutes, with efficiency quoted 15.4kWh/100km.

Normal charging time (from empty) is three hours and 15 minutes.

At 3895mm long, 1750mm wide and standing 1495mm tall the Honda e is smaller than the current crop of city-sized EVs offered locally, including the BMW i3, Nissan LEAF and Renault ZOE. It tips the scale at a hefty 1400kg.

Last month, Honda has told carsales it's very interested in bringing the compact EV to Australia, underlining its history in pioneering hybrid sales Down Under. However, the four-seat hatch remains unconfirmed for local sale at this time.

It's not known whether an online order system will be implemented here as in the UK, if and when the car gets green lit. Honda Australia's PR manager, Naomi Rebeschini, told carsales.com.au that the company is "...looking into the viability of the Honda e for Australia, but there are no plans [to bring the car here] as of today."

The Honda e boasts clean, simple body lines, smooth contours and stepless A-pillars that sit virtually flush with the glass. Inside there's a contemporary interior that creates a comfortable atmosphere with two large 12.3-inch screens sitting side-by-side to provide the driver a view of both the speedo and charge status.

The infotainment array allows access to a whole range of new in-car apps designed to make life easy for future owners, and, Honda says, keep passengers engaged with their connected lifestyles.

Honda has already received over 25,000 expressions of interest across Europe, with approximately 6000 of those coming from the UK alone. Customers who have placed a reservation on-line will be able to order their car later this year, with first deliveries expected to take place in early 2020.

“We are delighted to be offering a reservation option to our customers in select European markets for the first time with the Honda e,” said Honda Europe general manager, Jean-Marc Streng.

“The Honda e in prototype form has received an overwhelming response and with over 25,000 registrations of interest across Europe, customers now have the opportunity to secure priority status to order the model.”