Honda works updated Micro Commuter, FCX Clarity into 'Smart Mobility' exhibit

Honda plans to show how its super-small electric vehicle prototype fits into the bigger picture. The Japanese automaker is collaborating with electronics giant Toshiba and home-builder Sekisui House in their Smart Mobility City joint exhibit at the 43rd Tokyo Motor Show starting later this month. Themed "Being Smarter! Being Freer!", the companies will show off their truly utopian vision of neighborhoods with a "stable supply of renewable energy through the utilization of batteries and management of EV recharging."

As far as the rubber hitting the road, Honda will include one of its FCX Clarity hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles as well as its updated electric Micro Commuter: the MC-β. Both the revised mini car and an autonomous version of the original will be part of a test-drive/demonstration event.

The Micro Commuter was first introduced to us last year and features a 1+1 tandem setup like the Renault Twizy – though with it's swappable rear seat, it can instead accommodate two children behind the driver. It's said to include a 15-kilowatt motor powered by a lithium-ion battery that can provide a 60-km (37-mile) single-charge range and a top speed of 80 km/h (50 miles per hour). The car's about 98 inches long, or about eight inches shorter than a Smart ForTwo. As of this summer, Honda was reportedly about to begin testing prototypes. The company unveiled a previous version of the MC at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show. For more details on the joint exhibition, check out Honda's press release below.

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News Source: Honda

2013 Smart ForTwo Offered With Battery Leasing

Smart USA will start allowing their American customers the option to lease Smart ForTwo Electric Drive batteries so they don’t have to pay the full initial $25,750 cost of the car. This will make the already-affordable Smart EV downright cheap. A cheap EV? What a novel idea!

In Europe, the success rate of leasing batteries compared to buying them was so incredible that 97% of customers chose leasing. This is because most people would rather choose small recurrent expenses that add up over buying property outright and paying for all of it immediately, even though outright purchases are usually cheaper in the long run. The battery lease also means that customers won’t be stuck with a worthless lump of battery after a long history of service.

In Europe, the Smart ForTwo costs over $30,000 including the batteries, but it is only $24,000 if you rent the batteries. That is a $6,000 reduction! No wonder buyers are opting for the lease program. Smart expects to sell 2,000 ForTwo Electric Drive EVs in America this year, but that number could jump if they market the affordability of this EV properly.

In the US, the vehicle’s price is only $25,750 without rebates and incentives, and in California Federal and state tax incentives could bring the price down to $15,000. No word on how the battery leasing option will affect costs or tax rebates, but we could potentially looking at an EV that is among the cheapest cars to own. In Europe the battery leasing option costs an extra $83 a month, less than the cost of an average fill-up in a land where fuel can cost as much as $10 a gallon.

The battery is covered by a 4 year, 50,000-mile warranty, which is only half of the 8 years that Ford and Chevy offer with their electric vehicles. However, Smart will replace a leased battery if it ever drops below 80% of total capacity. Depending on the price, this may be the tipping point for EV adoption. 

Source: Automotive News