Size Does Matter
Most people in the USA drive less than 100 miles a day. Actually, about 50 miles on average, or about 30 on mean. And most cars carry less than 4 people most of the time. About 1.7 on average.
That considered, our typical car buying choices often make no sense since our actual needs are more modest than we tend to imagine and, like so many other life decisions, are based on emotions, aspirations — and more often than we care to admit — fear. Like, for example, range anxiety.
So, we fill our streets, garages, and parking lots with a lot of excess metal that costs more, uses more energy to move around, and sits idle most of time, taking up too much space.
And it doesn’t matter if that car uses an ICE or EV power-plant, excess is wasteful.
Hence the argument for the City Car, or its Green Cousin, the Urban EV.
City Folk v. Farmers & Hunter-Gatherers
Humans are hard-wired to fear scarcity. From our hunter-gatherer roots to our domestication as farmers, we fear not having enough and tend to think more is better. Thus, back in the Dark Ages of modern EVs, product planners and marketers understood that regardless of actual needs, the scarcity of charging stations meant they had to sell buyers on [a] the high price of a 200+ mile range EV with a huge battery capacity, [b] home chargers, and/or [c] “bridge” solutions such as Hybrids or PHEVs, and in many areas these are still the only practical choices.
Furthermore, the higher basic cost of EVs at launch drove the American market leader, Tesla, to focus on the high-end performance/luxury segment where they could get to price parity and sell enough cars to boot-up a new company, a strategy that proved successful.
However, in Asian and European markets, where a mix of congested cities, small villages with narrow streets and abundant mass-transit is common, the average size of cars is smaller and in some cases downright micro (Japanese Kei-cars and smart cars come to mind). In these markets, “City Cars” are a popular solution, not just because they are economical, but because they are small, and fit.
Thus, several Asian and European manufacturers approached EVs from the standpoint of providing smaller, lighter EVs with modest, but adequate range. One such car, the Nissan Leaf, is still the largest selling model in the global market (although Tesla Model 3 is poised to overtake it).
Can American farmers and hunter-gathers be convinced to abandon the SUVs and pick-up trucks in their suburban garages and join small EV civilization?
The success of the Leaf, BMW i3, Chevy Bolt and some other smallish EVs creating a niche market for the class in California and beyond suggests this will happen as the availability, quality and technology improves. Within 2-5 years I predict this segment of the market will boom as the merit of this class becomes obvious. Brands such as Kia, Hyundai, VW and others are poised to ramp volume of small EVs targeting the Chinese, EU and US markets, in some cases offering incremental cost/range options to suit different buyers/budgets/needs.
And this will kill the ICE, not the Teslas, eTrons, Taycans and Rivians.
When Small is Beautiful
One problem selling small in the American market is the persistent image of small cars as cheap, inferior or lacking value and durability. While this is sometimes the case, it often is not (in fact, luxury cars are generally a far worse value). But traditional auto companies have ridden a wave of larger and more luxurious cars to profitability for decades, and they will continue to do so at the high end of the market even as they migrate to EVs.
However, the value proposition of an EV drive-train, performance, simplicity, reliability, longevity and low operation cost, has to be balanced against the higher static weight of batteries that can require upgrading platforms and suspensions, and improving the quality of components and interiors for longer service life. So while scaling down the size and weight, platforms will require re-engineering for the weight distribution and dynamics of EVs, and to make the best use of limited space.
In an expected price range of $20,000 — 35,000, Urban EVs will trade a slightly higher initial cost for a better driving experience, lower operating cost and longer useful life.
Honda, a relative late-comer, has targeted the city car market for its first EV platform and is aiming squarely at the Urban EV segment where its expertise in packaging small cars is an advantage. Introduced as concept car at Frankfurt 2017, the project was, in fact, started much earlier and the show version a decoy to test the waters with the design concept they were already preparing for production. Consequently, the prototype they recently introduced to the press is essentially the final prototype for production starting in late 2019 for 2020 model year introduction to Europe and Japan.
Our friends Jonny Smith and Robert Llewelly from Fullycharged, do it more justice in video than I could in words, please watch to understand this car and its design values.
I know what you are thinking: “WTLP 220km? Really?”
Sure. Why not? You plug it in when you get home and top it up, or quick charge it to 80% in 30 min. That is the genus of a smaller, lighter EV that uses smaller capacity batteries. Do more with less.
And that is the future. It must be the future. Honda seems to grasp that and is betting on it.
The Good
- Flat floor skateboard drive platform with all mass between the axles
- Synchronous AC motor, Panasonic batteries, liquid cooled (front air exchanger)
- Rear wheel direct drive, small turning circle for urban driving
- Simple design outside and inside, “living room” interior
- 360º camera coverage, wing cameras with flat panel displays for rear view mirrors
- Various driver assist functions (radar, sonar, cameras)
- One pedal driving mode (100% regenerative breaking)
- Quick, maneuverable, fun. Easy to park in small spaces and on narrow streets
- 100kV quick charging
The Bad
- 220km range, if you really need more, but you probably don’t unless you are abnormal
- Small car if you really need a large car or truck
The Ugly
- No USA market plan yet
- Some technology (e.g., rear looking cameras) not DOT approved
Alternatives (in class)
- Numerous in global market
- Chevy Bolt, Hyundai Kona, Kia eSOUL, Kia e-Niro, Nissan Leaf, VW ID in USA market