Honda is a brand that’s always been at the cutting edge of technology. From being an early pioneer of hybrid to then being one of the first marques to explore hydrogen cars, it’s never been frightened to try and do things a bit differently.
Though in recent years its models might have taken a plainer approach, the brand is now back with a bang, as models like the Honda e show. While it could have played things safely with its first electric car to compete with more ordinary rivals like the Renault Zoe, Honda has instead been bold and different – packing its city EV with all the latest technology.
Here are five tech highlights of the Honda e.
It doesn’t have door mirrors
A key part of the Honda e is its minimalist exterior design – you’ll notice it looks similar at both the front and rear – and an element of that are its lack of door mirrors.
That’s right, there are no mirrors as such, but instead cameras that relay live images onto screens in the interior. It’s a really high-end touch and one that hasn’t been seen on a model of this size before. The rear-view mirror can also be changed into a digital screen to improve visibility too.
Interior is made up of five touchscreens
One look at the Honda e’s interior and you’ll quickly realise just how bold and different this EV is. That’s because there are an impressive five screens laid out across the full width of the dashboard.
These include two screens for the door ‘mirrors’, along with the main touchscreen and digital dials, while even the passenger gets their own screen. Both of these can be operated simultaneously, giving the Honda e a true connected experience.
Brimmed with safety equipment
Typically small cars make sacrifices when it comes to standard safety equipment, yet – despite measuring less than four metres long – Honda has managed to pack a range of driver assistance technology into the e.
Just a few features available include adaptive cruise control that can bring the car to a complete stop in heavy traffic, along with an intelligent speed limiter that can adapt your speed as the limit changes, along with blind spot information and a system that helps you avoid leaving the road.
You can plug in your games console
Though the Honda e is able to charge quickly (its battery can be taken to 80 per cent in just 30 minutes when using a 50kW rapid charger, there’s nothing worse than being stuck in the car with nothing else to do.
But thankfully the Japanese firm has thought about this, as thanks to an HDMI port in the car (and a typical household plug socket), it means you’re able to plug your Xbox or Playstation into the car, while a Wi-Fi hotspot also means you’re able to play online too.
Completely bespoke EV
Though not so much technology, one feature on the Honda e that’s particularly of note are its underpinnings.
That’s because this EV doesn’t share anything in common with the rest of the firm’s range, and is completely bespoke. That’s enabled Honda to be much bolder with its approach than a typical petrol or diesel car platform allows for, and how we’ve ended up with an electric car that’s so different to the rest.
The Honda e is on sale now, with prices starting from £28,215.
Enquire on a new Honda e