Why I Decided to Order the Honda e
Wayne Temple is a self-confessed enthusiast of cars and technology.
The 46-year old process engineer, who lives in Worcester with his wife and teenage son, has been following the development of the electric car with interest. So much so, he is already onto his second electric car and has a Honda e on order. With this in mind, we invited him to see the Honda e up close and personal in order to see what he thought.
The electric car lifestyle is one that the family have embraced wholeheartedly.
But what is it about the Honda e that made them want to be some of the first people in Britain to own one?
"It just looked so cool, sort of retro but futuristic at the same time. And the fact it had been designed as an electric car from the ground up, rather than repurposed from a generic car, allowed for things like the rear-wheel-drive platform, which should make it fun to drive," says Wayne.
Yet there was so much more besides that led him to be one of the first customers to place a deposit at his local Honda retailer.
Here are eight things that made Wayne want to own a Honda e.
I believe in electric cars
We have to do the right thing and end dependence on fossil fuels.
Without sounding too much like a full-blown environmentalist we are damaging our planet with the harmful fumes and the processes that go into sourcing oil.
I know that the way we generate electricity isn’t perfect but it is improving all the time in Britain.
The fact that I can dramatically reduce the environmental footprint of our family and cut our bills is all the more reason to switch to an electric car. We are on to our second electric car, which fits seamlessly into our lives.
Driving an electric car takes away the stress that comes from our crowded roads. It’s all about maintaining momentum, seeing how many miles per kWh I can achieve, and it really helps calm things down. I enjoy it and think other drivers would too.
It's a celebration of design
When you get up close to it, in person, it looks substantial, like it has been carved from one solid piece of material
Many brands’ electric cars are based on derivatives of gas-guzzlers with an electric motor and battery underneath, whereas Honda took a ground-up approach and did away with the legacy materials.
When I saw the first pictures of the Honda e, I noticed that its design has a hint of the original Civic about it.
When you get up close to it, in person, it looks substantial, like it has been carved from one solid piece of material.
The cabin is so spacious
It’s smaller than my current car but that doesn’t bother me. It is perfectly acceptable for a family.
We have one child, a teenage son, so I set the driver’s seat to my driving position then climbed in the back and found I could very comfortably sit behind myself. Any parent knows what’s it’s like with kids aboard, so this was important.
It’s also well thought out. There is a dedicated compartment in the boot for the charging leads, whereas my current electric car has a small bag and the leads lie around in the boot and get in the way.
The next generation of infotainment is amazing
Within minutes I was comfortable with the menus, settings, navigation and the tech on the car.
I’m a both an Apple and PC man, and after playing around with the Honda e’s infotainment I thought it was a very intuitive.
Within minutes I was comfortable with the menus, settings, navigation and the tech on the car.
It felt streets ahead of any other car brand. I loved the wrap-around effect of the dashboard and the inclusion of the passenger, who can swipe to send navigation details to the driver – which is very iPad like.
The video screens in place of wing mirrors seems so natural
Within a couple of minutes I wasn’t looking for the mirrors and my eye went to the monitors.
It is a new way of thinking with a great view that’s a lot clearer and virtually eliminates blind spots because there’s a wider field of view.
I was totally sold on this.
The range is right
I have a daily 60-mile round trip for work.
The Honda e pretty much matches my current car’s range, of around 160 miles, which leaves plenty in reserve each day.
We also use the car to go shopping, take our son to various activities and visit my parents in St Albans – a 140-mile trip each way.
So, we plan a quick stop for a top-up charge on the motorway. We have a dog, and she can stretch her legs, so it actually works really well for us.
It looks like it will be fun to drive
I’m used to the torque of electric cars. But the Honda e is a lot more powerful than others, so I’m looking forward to that and seeing how nippy it feels when I finally get to drive it.
The rear-wheel-drive layout should bring back more feel to the steering, and there shouldn’t be any fighting of torque steer.
Also, I’m keen to see how good the turning circle is, given the car’s compact dimensions, and I hope it will feel easy to move around. Plus, it comes with a parking assistance system and adaptive cruise control, which makes life so much easier.
I have lived with electric cars for five years and have never experienced range anxiety
We have a wall charger at home and it’s so convenient. The only time we visit a petrol station is to buy a coffee or a paper or grab a quick charge on a long trip.
Normally we just plug in when we get home, and the car is always ready for its next journey. I have never run so low in my current car that I have gone into reduced power mode.
If you’re driving a long way, it just takes a little bit of forward planning, but you could say the same of a petrol or diesel car. And the Honda e takes up to a 100kW charge, which means it could go from empty to 80% in 30 minutes.
You can reserve the Honda e yourself now by clicking here. Also, check out Wayne’s reaction to seeing the Honda e for the first time in person in the video below
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