Frankfurt 2017: Honda Urban EV concept showcased

As a response to the rapid push towards electrical energy in the automotive industry, Honda used the Frankfurt Motor Show, 2017 - as a platform to reveal its future EV plans.

Honda has showcased its new Urban EV concept in Frankfurt. The all-electric Urban EV is built on a completely new platform, and sets the direction for the technology and design that will appear on a future battery electric Honda production model.

The concept was officially introduced by Honda President and CEO, Takahiro Hachigo, who made it clear that it is ‘not some vision of the distant future’. He further confirmed that the Urban EV would metamorphosize into a production car by 2019.

The overall design of the Urban EV pays homage to the very first iteration of the Honda Civic - which was launched during the 1970s. This, along with some funky design elements, grant a retro-futuristic appeal to the Urban EV. The Honda emblem on the concept is backlit in blue, which previews a new styling feature for the company‘s future EVs. At the front of the car, interactive multilingual messages can be displayed between the headlights, including greetings, advice for other drivers on the road, or charging status updates.

Available on-board is Honda’s Automated Network Assistant - which acts as a personal concierge, and learns from the driver by detecting emotions behind their judgments. It can then apply what it has learnt from the driver’s past decisions to make new choices and recommendations. Also present is Honda’s Power Manager Concept - which is a system that can store energy more efficiently,  by releasing electricity generated by renewable sources back into the home or selling it back to the grid.

Honda remained tight-lipped about the exact powertrain or range details of the Urban EV concept.