Electric hatchback impresses with its performance and agility, but the purchase price remains high and it's not officially coming to the UK
This is the new battery-powered Honda Jazz EV, which has just gone on sale in Japan and the US. Unlike, say, the Nissan Leaf, which is a heavily modified mainstream hatchback or the bespoke Renault Zoe, the Jazz EV is - drivetrain aside - almost identical to the combustion-engined version, save for a few styling tweaks and switchgear changes.The 20kWh Lithium-Ion battery is packaged under the Jazz’s floor, a task made easier by the fact that the standard Jazz has its fuel tank under the front seats. Space was also liberated from the extra-deep rear foot wells, which normally accommodate the clever folding seats.Under the bonnet, there’s a permanent magnet electric motor driving a single-speed transmission. Interestingly, Honda gives three outputs for the motor, one for each driving mode. In ‘Sport’ mode the driver gets 123bhp between 3695 and 10,320rpm. In ‘Normal’ it gets 100bhp and in ‘Eco’ its gets 63bhp over the same rev range.The onboard charger offers a handy 17 per cent charge in just 30 minutes with a standard UK 240V. A full charge takes just three hours. The Jazz EV also uses an electrically powered brake servo, something on the way for mainstream cars.
Electric hatchback impresses with its performance and agility, but the purchase price remains high and it's not officially coming to the UK
This is the new battery-powered Honda Jazz EV, which has just gone on sale in Japan and the US. Unlike, say, the Nissan Leaf, which is a heavily modified mainstream hatchback or the bespoke Renault Zoe, the Jazz EV is - drivetrain aside - almost identical to the combustion-engined version, save for a few styling tweaks and switchgear changes.The 20kWh Lithium-Ion battery is packaged under the Jazz’s floor, a task made easier by the fact that the standard Jazz has its fuel tank under the front seats. Space was also liberated from the extra-deep rear foot wells, which normally accommodate the clever folding seats.Under the bonnet, there’s a permanent magnet electric motor driving a single-speed transmission. Interestingly, Honda gives three outputs for the motor, one for each driving mode. In ‘Sport’ mode the driver gets 123bhp between 3695 and 10,320rpm. In ‘Normal’ it gets 100bhp and in ‘Eco’ its gets 63bhp over the same rev range.The onboard charger offers a handy 17 per cent charge in just 30 minutes with a standard UK 240V. A full charge takes just three hours. The Jazz EV also uses an electrically powered brake servo, something on the way for mainstream cars.