Bangkok 2024: Honda e:N1 EV – 204 PS/310 Nm all-electric HR-V, 68.8 kWh battery, 500 km NEDC range
In December last year, Honda announced that it had begun production of the Honda e:N1 in Thailand, making the automaker the first major Japanese car brand to build an EV car in the Kingdom. The all-electric SUV is being built on a dedicated factory line at Honda’s plant in Rojana Industrial Park, Prachinburi province.
Further details about the model, essentially an HR-V sans engine, have now been released, with the vehicle having made its public debut today at the 45th Bangkok International Motor Show 2024, ahead of its official launch tomorrow.
The e:N1 is basically the e:Ny1, which made its European debut last year, with a slightly different name. Styling-wise, it resembles the HR-V, but Honda says that the e:Ny1 sits on the newly-developed e:N Architecture F, a front-motor-driven platform with three fundamental attributes – a dedicated high rigidity body structure, a low centre of gravity, and carefully managed under-floor aerodynamics to ensure a “fun and confidence-inspiring drive.”
To help distinguish the e:N1, the model gets, among other things, a newly-designed front grille reflecting its all-electric nature. This seamlessly connects to the headlights and houses a battery charging point, with the charging status indicator (consisting of a line of LEDs) located above the front grille
Elsewhere, the use of horizontal lines along the sides, extending from the headlights to the tail lights, helps present the EV with a sportier and modern feel. Additionally, a newly-designed H Mark logo serves to denote it as an EV, and it’s also dressed with multi-spoke 18-inch two-tone alloys and a “Honda” brand name – presented in a new font – on the tailgate.
Exterior equipment includes auto on/off LED headlights with LED DRLs and front fog lamps, front LED sequential turn signals, a smoked LED tail light strip, a rear spoiler and a shark fin antenna. There’s only one exterior colour available for the car, and that’s Premium Sunlight White Pearl.
Inside, the e:N1 is equipped with black sports-design leather seats adorned with white trim and blue stitching. Elsewhere, the centre console has been redesigned to house a large, vertically-oriened 15.1-inch Advanced Touch Display Audio touchscreen panel with wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and a 10.25-inch TFT multi-information display, along with a simple shift knob arrangement and an electronic parking brake switch.
Incidentally, the display menu on the 15.1-inch screen is organized into three zones, with the upper Connect zone being home to the navigation, clock and rear-camera displays, while the middle Driver Assist zone presents the vehicle’s EV menu and status as well as settings for audio and communications. The lowest zone is where the A/C controls are grouped.
Also to be found are dual-zone automatic air-conditioning, a PM2.5 air filter, an eight-way powered driver’s seat, a six-speaker audio system, four USB ports (one USB-A, one USB-C port in the front, and two USB-C ports in the rear), wireless mobile charger, blue ambient lighting and 60:40 multi-utility rear seats.
Motive power is delivered through a three-in-one electric motor – which integrates the motor, power drive unit and gearbox – producing 204 PS (201 hp or 150 kW) and 310 Nm of torque, as per the e:Ny1. Like the latter, a 68.8 kWh lithium-ion battery provides the e:N1 with a maximum range of 500 km (NEDC standard) on a single charge (the e:Ny1 quotes a 412 km range on a WLTP cycle).
While the provided literature states that the e:N1 supports DC CCS 2 and AC Type 2 chargers, there’s no mention of charge times, but the duration shouldn’t veer far from that quoted for the e:Ny1, where it is said that DC fast charging (rate unspecified) can get the battery from a 10 to 80% state-of-charge in 45 minutes.
Safety-wise, the e:N1 comes equipped with six airbags (dual front, side and side curtain), VSA, hill start assist as well as Honda Sensing. The suite of driver assist items include Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS), Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS), Road Departure Mitigation System with Lane Departure Warning (RDM with LDW), Auto High-Beam (AHB), Adaptive Cruise Control with Low-Speed Follow (ACC with LSF) and Lead Car Departure Notification System (LCDN).
Also on are Blind Spot Information (BSI), Cross Traffic Monitor (CTM), a multi-angle rear-view camera, eight parking sensors (four front, four rear) and auto brake hold. Additionally, there’s also Honda Connect, which aside from the usual supported features includes a charging status, which can track or adjust the Honda e:N1’s battery charging settings.
Via the app, settings for charging can be selected to suit different charging conditions and locations. There are three selectable levels ranging from “LOW,” which limits power to six amps, to “HIGH,” which supports the maximum current from the charger equal to the maximum power the battery can handle.
All that’s left to know is the price, and that will come when the e:N1 is officially launched in the Kingdom tomorrow.
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