HondaFitEv
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Honda serves up first Fit EV to California couple, no gasoline aftertaste
Honda has handed over the keys for its first 118 MPGe Fit EV to Californians Matt and Becky Walton -- although they'll have to hand 'em back in a few years. The delivery kicks off a rollout starting in California and Oregon that will eventually reach the east coast by 2013. You can't call the couple owners, as Honda is leasing the EV for $389 per month, but should it ever go on sale, it would cost around $37,000. Packing a 20-kWh lithium-ion battery, the Fit has a range of 123 miles in the city or 76 miles combined city/highway and takes as little as three hours to re-juice with a sufficiently capable charger. Only 1,100 will be leased stateside, so if you've been dreaming of an electric Honda in your garage, you may want to check the PR quickly -- if it's not already too late.
Honda Fit EV rated at 118 MPGe, will get you 82 of those on one charge (update)
Honda's perky little Fit EV has just been marked and measured by the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA has rated the dinky 'lectro-wagon at 118 MPGe, which Honda claims is the best ever score. Our friends over at Autoblog aren't so sure, noting that the Tesla Roadster eked out 119 MPGe in its testing. That said, the Fit does best the Roadster on its city rating (132 over 124 MPGe) so perhaps there's some gentle number massaging going on. With performance like that, however, we won't hold it against them. In fact we're off to buy one now. Oh wait. Update: Honda has been in contact to clarify that its rating of 118 is an official EPA score. The Tesla's 119 was based on internal testing, meaning the Fit does indeed have the top EPA rating.
Honda Fit EV goes lease-only for 2012, should hit US next summer for $399 per month (video)
If you're looking to buy a car to keep around for the long-haul (200,000 miles, anyone?), then Honda should probably near the top of your list. That's why we're a bit surprised to see that next year's all-electric Fit won't have a purchase option -- not initially, at least. The car does carry an MSRP of $36,625, but at this point that figure will be used for little more than to calculate the approximately $399 per month lease fee. If your credit's up to snuff and you end up behind the wheel, expect the 20-kWh lithium-ion battery to provide an estimated city range of 123 miles, with a combined rating of 76 miles. The on-board 6.6-kW 32-amp charger juices up the battery in as little as three hours with level-two EVSE. You can expect the all-blue Fit to reach parts of California and Oregon next summer, with East Coast dealers stocking the EV by 2013. Only 1,100 cars are expected to reach U.S. shores, however, so you may want to add your local Honda dealer to the holiday card list -- it certainly can't hurt your chances of getting Fit next summer.%Gallery-139803% Dante Cesa contributed to this report.
