2019 Geneva Motor Show: Honda e Prototype Unveiled

Updated: Wednesday, March 6, 2019, 11:55 [IST]

Honda has revealed the e Prototype at the ongoing Geneva International Motor Show. The Honda e Prototype will be the first conventional electric car from the Japanese auto giant and will be pitted against the Tesla Model 3 in the European market.

The e Prototype is the near-production version of the Urban EV concept showcased in 2017. At the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2017, Honda had revealed the Urban EV concept and in October 2017, the company revealed the Sports EV concept at the Tokyo Motor Show.

Honda e Prototype Unveiled At Geneva Motor Show

Honda had stated that Urban EV concept would be put into production in 2019 and here we are in the first quarter of the year, looking at the near-production version of the car. It is still in its prototype stage and hence the name e Prototype.

The overall design still remains identical to the Urban EV concept from 2017. However, we can see that the exteriors have been toned down and there are a few changes as compared to the concept.

Up front, the hood scoop has been retained and so has the gloss-black panel between the circular headlamps with the backlit Honda Logo. The hood scoop is where the charging port for the e Prototype is located.

The headlamp still remains circular, but it now has a more practical LED setup. On the concept, the entire front end was one large seamless, moulded panel. Now though, the bumper and quarter panels have been separated as in a production car.

Conventional ORVMs have been replaced by cameras that feed video to a screen on the inside. The rear-hinged suicide doors on the concept have been replaced by conventional front-hinged doors.

The wheels on the concept have now been replaced by decent-looking conventional alloy wheels. The A and B pillars along with the roof have been given a gloss black finish, lending the exterior a dual-tone finish.

The interior of the Honda e Prototype is extremely futuristic. The entire dashboard is dominated by five large screens. The two screens on each end act as the display for the ORVMs and another screen takes care of instrumentation duties. At the centre are two touchscreen displays for infotainment.

Just below the screens are the AC vents with wooden trim above it. Even the centre console has wooden trim, and this whole setup gives its occupants a cozy feel. Honda has not revealed a lot of technical information about the e Prototype.

As of now, it is just clear that the Honda e Prototype will have a driving range of more than 200 kilometres and the batteries can be charged from 0 to 80 percent in just 30 minutes. Drive will be sent to the rear wheels only.

Thoughts On Honda e Prototype Revealed At Geneva International Motor Show

The Honda Urban EV was one of the best-looking concepts and was lauded for the same reason when it was revealed a couple of years ago. It came with a retro design and futuristic technologies. Honda has done a brilliant job of keeping the same flavour even on the prototype. We look forward to the production variant.