Automobiles Review

Tag: 2013 Honda Fit EV

  • 2013 Honda Fit goes on sale with a starting price of $15 325

    2013-Honda-Fit-Sport-THUMB2013 Honda Fit is going on sale today and will deliver the lucky customers unmatched efficiency and fun-driving. In addition to that Honda has included to the Fit exterior color trim range the new Midnight Plum Pearl paint. The starting price still remains unchanged: $15 325.

    Important fact about the Fit is that it has multiple achievements because of its class-leading safety scores, fuel economy, value and overall excellence. Some of the prestigious awards are “$16,000 Subcompact Shootout” competition (by Cars.com, USA Today and MotorWeek ), Tope safety pick (from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety), 2012 Residual Value Award from ALG, “10Best Cars” award winner.

    This Honda model is powered by 1.5-liter, i-VTEC® four-cylinder engine. It is able to generate 117 horsepower (86 kW) at 6,600 rpm and 106 lb-ft (144 Nm) of torque at 4,800 rpm. This engine is mated to a five-speed manual transmission as a standard and. Nevertheless, a five-speed automatic one is also available.

    2013 Honda Fit Sport
    2013 Honda Fit Sport

    The economy numbers for the vehicle, when equipped with the available automatic transmission, are city/highway/combined fuel economy rating of 28/35/31 miles per gallon. The Fit Sport with the available automatic transmission has city/highway/combined fuel economy rating of 27/33/30 miles per gallon. All manual transmission-equipped models have city/highway/combined fuel economy rating of 27/33/29 miles per gallon2.

    Furthermore the compact size of the 2013 Honda Fit makes it perfect for the urban environment. In addition it has intriguing design which is emphasized by the body-color exterior mirrors and racy five-spoke wheel covers or 16-inch alloy wheels.

    Moreover, the car will deliver a sporty and dynamic driving experience to its driver, because of its front MacPherson strut suspension and an H-shaped torsion beam rear suspension. Fifteen- and 16-inch wheels (Fit and Fit Sport, respectively) include 175/65 R15 84S (Fit) and 185/55 R16 83H (Fit Sport) tires.

    Although the overall exterior length is just 161.6 inches, the car is surprisingly roomy inside. This makes it possible for five passengers to have a comfortable ride. The standard comfort and convenience features include air conditioning, cruise control, remote entry, a 160-watt AM/FM/CD audio system with four speakers, a USB audio interface3, an auxiliary audio input jack, MP3/WMA playback capability, Radio Data System (RDS), power windows, power mirrors, power door locks, and a security system.

    As it is typical for Honda, all Fit models are equipped with a wide range of standard safety equipment: Vehicle Stability Assist™ (VSA®), the Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure, anti-lock brakes, dual-stage, multiple-threshold front airbags, front-side airbags with passenger-side Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS), and side-curtain airbag.

    2013 Honda Fit Sport
    2013 Honda Fit Sport

    The top-of-the-line in this model range is the Fit Sport. The vehicle includes host of useful features: fog lights, “machined surface” 16-inch alloy wheels, a body-colored underbody kit and rear roofline spoiler, chromed exhaust finisher, rear stabilizer bar and steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters,160-watt AM/FM/CD audio system with six speakers, illuminated steering wheel-mounted audio controls get the tunes pumping.

    Other Fit Sport interior improvements are upgraded seat fabric, dark metallic dashboard components, chrome accents around the instrument displays, console ambient lighting and floor mats.

    Furthermore, the model is also available with the Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System™ with Voice Recognition4, which features a 6.5-inch screen, Bluetooth®5 HandsFreeLink®, Bluetooth® Audio capability with compatible phones and devices.

    Source: Honda

  • 2013 Honda Fit EV Has The Highest Fuel-Efficiency Rating

    2013-Honda-Fit-EV-THUMB2013 Honda Fit EV has just received the highest fuel-efficiency rating ever given by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In particular, the number it has shown is exactly of 118 MPGe.

    Furthermore this Honda electric vehicle has an unprecedented low consumption rating of just 29 kilowatt hours (kWh) per 100 miles. This makes its EPA rated yearly fuel cost of only $500.

    The reason for this efficient drive is that the Fit is equipped with a 20-kWh lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery, which provides the capacity to earn an EPA combined city/highway estimated driving range rating of 82-miles. Compared to the other electric vehicles, the Fit EV has the best fuel economy. For example, the EPA efficiency and range ratings of the Ford Focus Electric are 105 MPGe, 76-mile range; of Nissan Leaf – 99 MPGe, 73-mile range; and Mitsubishi i-MiEV – 112 MPGe, 62-mile range.

    What contributes additionally for the fuel economy is the Fit EV’s efficient design. This includes the powertrain design, the weight-conscious engineering and the effective aerodynamics. In addition, the battery of the EV is the smallest one in its class and can be recharged in less than 3 hours from a low charge indicator illumination point (utilizing 240-volt circuit).

    Important to mention is that the Fit EV’s 92 kilowatt (123 horsepower) coaxial electric motor produces 189 ft-lb (256 Nm) of torque. In addition, it works in team with a chassis with a fully-independent suspension and a driver-selectable 3-mode electric drive system. The latter one was adapted from the CR-Z Sport Hybrid.

    In fact, this takes the Fit one step further, to the accomplishment of Honda’s goal to bring more environmental awareness to thee world. Furthermore, the brand aims to continue developing battery- electric, hydrogen, natural gas, and gasoline-electric powered vehicles, which are to show improved fuel-efficiency and reduced CO2 emissions.

    Moreover, Honda Fit has topped the list of America’s greenest vehicles, from the America Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), for eleven consecutive years. Today, the company is striving for even greater reductions in CO2 emissions.

    2013 Honda Fit EV
    2013 Honda Fit EV
    Honda Fit EV Efficiency Comparison
    Model EPA Combined
    MPGe Rating    		 EPA Combined
    kWh/100ml1    		 Battery Capacity EPA Label Range
    Honda Fit EV 118 29 20 kWh 82 miles
    Mitsubishi i-MiEV 112 30 16 kWh 62 miles
    Ford Focus Electric 105 32 23 kWh 76 miles
    Nissan Leaf 99 34 24 kWh 73 miles

    Source: Honda

  • 2013 Honda Fit EV and Accord Plug-In Hybrid Sedan to be charged by Leviton’s technologies

    2013-Honda-Fit-EV-THUMB2013 Honda Fit EV and Accord Plug-In Hybrid Sedan are going literally to take charge from Leviton Manufacturing Company. Leviton is a global leader in connectivity solutions and recently was selected as Honda’s preferred Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment provider for customer and dealer EV charging.

    In fact, the company is leader in the fields of advanced technology for mobility and energy solutions. In addition to this it is important to mention that this is the largest privately held global provider of electrical wiring devices, data center connectivity solutions and lighting energy management systems. Combined with any Honda vehicle, the result will be oriented towards more sustainable future.

    Furthermore, Honda will be introducing these two battery-electric vehicles: starting with 2013 Honda Fit EV this summer, and the Honda Accord Plug-In Hybrid Sedan next winter.

    The first Honda vehicle is a battery-electric commuter car. And as you can guess yourself, it is based on the famous Fit model. The car is able to deliver an estimated 123 city-mile range per charge (76 mile range combined adjusted city/highway) and can fully recharge its battery in just three hours when connected to a 240-volt circuit.

    On the other hand Honda Plug-In Hybrid Sedan utilizes two-motor hybrid system. The latter continuously moves through three different modes: all-electric, with up to a 15 mile per charge range; gasoline-electric; and direct-drive. Thanks to these modes is further possible an optimization of driving and fuel efficiency, especially during city driving.

    2013 Honda Fit EV
    2013 Honda Fit EV

    Source: Honda

  • 2013 Honda Fit EV takes part in smarter charging project

    2013-Honda-Fit-EV-THUMBHonda brand today announced that it is going to collaborate with Pacific Gas and Electric Company. They are going to launch a new pilot project that will allow communication between electric vehicles and the power grid.

    The aim of this project is to show practically and test an electric vehicle’s ability to receive and respond to charge instructions based on the grid condition and the vehicle’s battery state.

    In short, all these efforts will allow the customers, through the visibility into charging patterns, to more effectively manage charging during peak hours. In addition to that the companies hope that this will create consumer-friendly programs which will encourage electric vehicle adoption.

    In fact, this project aims to ease the infrastructure and consumer concerns related with the mass adoption of EVs. It will do this with the addition of other layer of agility to the EV charging process. What this level of intelligence will do is to help making charging seamless for consumers. On the other hand, at the same time will ensuring that the electricity source is reliable and the infrastructure is stable.

    This demonstration will be made with the help of one of the most popular EV’s – 2013 Honda Fit EV. It will collect grid and vehicle data and then create an individualized charging plan for Honda’s Fit EV battery electric vehicles.

    In particular, by using the existing in-vehicle communications system in the Honda Fit EV, the electric vehicle can interact with utilities and the grid, thus creating a channel for sending and receiving utilized information that could improve grid management.

    When the 2013 Honda Fit EV is plugged into a charge post, it initiates a charge request through the vehicles telematics system. This system is an integrated telecommunication application, which is mainly used for navigation.

    What happens next is that this request is sent to IBM’s Electric Vehicle Enablement Platform. There the vehicle data, such as battery state and grid data received from PG&E, is collected and mixed to create an optimized charge schedule. Of course, the next step is to communicate back the processed data to the vehicle. And all this happens in several seconds.

    Next, with the help of the aggregated data, the vehicle becomes able to charge to the level that is needed while factoring any current grid constraints.

    2013 Honda Fit EV
    2013 Honda Fit EV

    What is very specific here is that the system utilizes real time and simulated data, thank to which will test and demonstrate the ability to alter, as well as to adapt charging patterns based on grid conditions.

    And all this is called simply: smart charging capability. It will enable energy providers to manage the power used by EVs during peak times by instructing vehicles to regulate charging when required.

    Furthermore, this new smart charging will have the ability to collate historical EV charging data, thus creating a profile, which can predict the location and duration of EV charge loads.

    Through communicating the important information directly to the vehicle, the companies assume that this will crucially enhance driver services.

    For instance, the IBM’s cloud based platform will be able to provide charge post location information and availability and send it directly to the vehicle, and then with the help and utilization of the telematics and Satellite-Linked Navigation it will guide the driver to the nearest place to charge.

    Source: Honda