Honda's Design Recognized at Red Dot 2020 Awards

Honda’s gotten its design mojo back and proving it are three awards at the Red Dot awards including the highest honor—the Red Dot: Best of the Best.

Receiving the Red Dot 2020 for Smart Product Design as well as Red Dot 2020 Best of the Best Car Design is the first-ever Honda e—Honda’s first-ever full electric vehicle. Designed for urban environments, the Honda e was recognized for its signature front and rear LED lights and its glass charging port cover set in a unique black concave panel.

Before making its debut as a production vehicle, the Honda e was recognized as Best Concept Car in 2017 by the Car Design Awards.

Meanwhile, another Honda—this time its CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP motorcycle also received recognition in the Smart Product Design category highlighting its “design without compromise” approach. In particular, the jurors recognized its best-in-class drag co-efficient thanks to learnings from the MotoGP.

The CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP was designed with an innovative new approach in which Honda R&D’s digital simulation experts, clay modelers, and styling sketch designers worked with a continuous, almost simultaneous feedback loop to create the maximum effect in the shortest possible development time.

The annual Red Dot awards honor excellence across product, brand, and communication design from international businesses. The winning products are decided by a judging panel comprised of 40 international experts who test, evaluate, and discuss each entry.

Honda has a long history of success in the automotive section of the Red Dot awards, among the most prestigious and sought-after awards in the world. Other recent successes include the Honda S2000 in 2001 and Civic in 2006 for “Red Dot: Best of the Best,” and European Accord Tourer in 2008 and Insight in 2009 for “Red Dot”.

Honda's First-Ever EV is a 154-horsepower, 315 Nm of Torque Wonder

After some teasing (and a missed opportunity to name it the e Honda), Honda has finally showed off the production version of its first all-electric vehicle: the Honda e. It doesn’t look that different from the prototype version, but that’s entirely the point. So what’s the big news here? The carmaker has finally confirmed the powertrain’s figures and range.

Before that, it’s worth saying that the production version of the Honda e keeps the pop-out door handles and cameras that replace the traditional side mirrors. Ditto inside where a full-width digital dashboard contains no less than five screens.

With that out of the way, Honda has finally revealed that their first-ever EV produces two outputs (depending on the variant): 136 or 154 horsepower. The torque? An impressive 315 Nm. Driving the rear wheels, this EV reaches the 100 km/h mark in just 8 seconds. Yet, it delivers a range of 220 kilometers on a single charge thanks to a 35.5 kWh battery. A fast-charging capability allows it to reach 80 percent capacity in just 30 minutes.

The Honda e also debuts the brand’s own personal assistant system.

Currently, the Honda e is slated first for the European market with the rest of the world to follow.

Could the Honda e Be the Millennials' Civic SiR?

Don’t fear EVs, says Honda. They’ll be fun to drive. That’s the promise at least with the carmaker’s first full electric vehicle, the Honda e, built on a new dedicated EV platform.

Designed from the ground up to deliver the driving dynamics Honda is known for, the battery is positioned at a low level under the floor and centrally within the wheelbase of the car. This results in a 50/50 front-to-back weight distribution and a low center of gravity for optimal handling and stability.

Honda's new compact electric vehicle, the Honda e, is the first Honda to be built on a dedicated EV platform, designed from the ground up to deliver excellent Honda driving dynamics. Power from the high-torque electric motor is delivered through the rear wheels, which gives steering precision even at high acceleration.

Moreover, the four-wheel independent suspension is engineered to offer outstanding stability in all conditions. Even the elements of the suspension components themselves are built around performance and efficiency and are made of forged aluminum.

The Honda e will use a 35.5 kWh lithium-ion high-capacity battery (smaller than the Nissan Leaf), but will still deliver a range of over 200 kilometers. Moreover, thanks to a fast-charge capability, it will provide a 80 percent charge level in just 30 minutes.

The battery pack is water-cooled to maintain an optimum thermal state therefore maximizing the efficiency of the battery and charge state, while also ensuring its size and weight are minimized so that it does not compromise cabin room.

Designed with a focus on simplicity and usability, the Honda e charging port is integrated into the hood, with LED lighting visible through a glass panel to illuminate the port for the driver and highlight the battery charging status. The positioning of the charging port allows easy access from the front of the car or from either side. Displays on the dual touchscreens inside the car present the current level of battery charge, while a drivetrain graphic charts the current power flow and the regeneration and recharging status.

Honda says they’ve already received 31,000 “expressions of interest” for the Honda e and it will be launched first in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Norway by the end of this year with the rest of the world to follow.

Honda Will Use Cameras Instead of Side Mirrors in Their Production Car

Honda has confirmed that the side camera mirror system, seen on the prototype version of their first-ever all-electric vehicle, the Honda e will be standard when the car enters production. The technology, a first in the compact segment (and Honda) brings benefits in terms of styling, safety, aerodynamics, and refinement.

The technology, which Honda officially calls “Side Camera Mirror System” replaces conventional side view mirrors with compact cameras providing live images to two six-inch screens inside the vehicle. These screens are integrated at either end of the dashboard, ergonomically positioned to ensure a natural feel and vision for the driver.

The next-generation camera technology helps the car retain a modern, clean and simple design, and complements the stepless A-pillars and flush ‘pop out’ door handles also confirmed for the production version of the Honda e. Unlike conventional side mirrors, the cameras are contained within the width of the car and do not extend beyond the wheel arches.

As a result, not only is visibility improved, but also the compact cameras reduce aerodynamic drag by around 90 percent compared to conventional door mirrors—an approximate 3.8 percent improvement for the entire vehicle, benefiting its efficiency and range. Furthermore, there is a significant reduction of wind noise that’s normally generated by side mirrors at higher speeds.

The camera unit housings are also deliberately shaped to prevent water drops on the lens, with a water-repellent coating on the lens surfaces to deter any other residual water build up.

The optimal positioning of the Side Camera Mirror System cameras delivers a host of safety advantages, too. The driver can choose between “normal view” and “wide view” via the vehicle settings, extending the field of vision further than with conventional side mirrors and reducing blind spots by around 10 percent in normal view and approximately 50 percent in wide view. Further benefits are experienced when reverse gear is selected, guidelines appear on the side view screens in addition to an enhanced camera angle, expanding visibility.

Brightness levels on the interior displays are automatically adjusted based on the prevailing light conditions. Extensive testing and development have been undertaken to ensure that the system delivers superior visibility in poor weather, low-light, and night-time conditions with no dazzle or glare. This provides drivers with greater clarity and awareness of surrounding objects than conventional side view mirrors in all conditions.

Honda’s new compact electric car is a bold step for the brand in terms of design and technology, and forms part of the brand’s strategy to feature electrified technology in all cars it sells in Europe by 2025. It will feature a competitive range of over 200 kilometers and a ‘fast charge’ functionality providing 80 percent range in just 30 minutes.

Inside, the spacious, contemporary interior creates a comfortable lounge-like feel with an intuitive and customizable dual touch-screen interface to keep passengers engaged with their connected lifestyles. The car’s sporty rear-wheel drive set up, advanced electric powertrain and high-performance battery, delivers a fun, dynamic driving experience.

The production version of the Honda e will be unveiled later this year.