An Electric Toaster on Wheels Called Super EV is Coming to Goodwood
Image Credit: Honda.
While I'm genuinely fizzing with excitement about our electric future, a tiny part of me has been a bit bored. The market is flooded with two-and-a-half-ton electric SUVs that look like startled manatees and promise all the driving excitement of a tax audit. They're worthy, they're sensible, but they don't exactly make you want to get up at dawn for a spirited drive.
Then, out of the blue, Honda drops a bombshell. And it's a tiny, adorable, wonderfully silly-looking bombshell. They're calling it the "Super EV Concept," and it will be making its grand debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. And when I say "concept," I'm making those little quotation marks with my fingers. This thing looks about as much a "concept" as my need for a strong cup of coffee in the morning. It's basically a thinly veiled promise of a production car.
At first glance, it looks like someone took the ghost of the much-loved, but deeply flawed, Honda e and sent it to the gym. It's got these absurdly flared wheel arches and the face of a 1980s video game character. The big, round, innocent-looking headlights flanking a charging port on the grille give it a friendly, cartoonish vibe. It's upright, it's boxy, and it looks no bigger than a phone booth.
Image Credit: Honda.
Honestly, it reminds me of the fantastic little kei-cars you see zipping around Tokyo, specifically Honda's own N-One. For those not in the know, kei-cars are Japan's solution to crowded cities - tiny vehicles with microscopic engines. The sportiest version of the N-One has a 658 cc turbocharged engine that churns out a mighty 64 horsepower. It's a furious little hamster in a box. But this new Super EV? This is a different animal entirely. It's designed for the world, not just Japan.
Honda has been maddeningly quiet about the important bits, you know, the numbers that actually matter. Power? Battery size? Price? Not a whisper. But they did say it was "designed to demonstrate how an A-segment model might offer fresh, fun-to-drive electric performance." "Fun-to-drive" and "electric" are two phrases that, in my experience, don't always hold hands and skip through a field of daisies. But in a car this small? It's a distinct possibility.
Let's get our speculation hats on, shall we? The old Honda E was rear-wheel drive. If they stick with that layout and give this new tyke a decent motor, we could be in for a treat. Imagine something weighing about as much as a bag of sugar with 120 horsepower. That would be lively. Now, what if they got really ambitious? There's the possibility of a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive setup. Can you imagine 200 horsepower in a car that's about 11 feet long? It would be an absolute pocket rocket. A terror in the city. You'd be able to out-accelerate supercars to the next red light.
Image Credit: Honda.
This is where my gentle skepticism kicks in, followed by a wave of optimism. The reason the original Honda E failed wasn't its looks or its brilliant interior. It was the miserable range - about 137 miles if you were lucky and drove downhill with a tailwind - and a price tag that started north of $45,000. It was a fantastic second or third car for a wealthy city dweller, which is a market of about seven people. For this Super EV to succeed, it needs to do better. A lot better.
If Honda can aim for a range over 200 miles and keep the price somewhere in the realm of reality, say under $35,000, they won't be able to build them fast enough. People are crying out for small, affordable, characterful EVs. Not another bland crossover. We want cars with personality, cars that make us smile when we see them. This little pug-faced machine certainly does that.
The fact that Honda is debuting it with a hill climb run at Goodwood, one of the most celebrated motoring events on the planet, tells you they have confidence in its "fun-to-drive" credentials. They're not just sticking it on a plinth to be gawked at; they're going to thrash it up a very famous bit of tarmac. They've also admitted to doing feasibility testing in the UK as part of a "wider global program." That's corporate speak for "Yes, we're building it, just be patient."
This Super EV, for me, is the star of the show. It's a nod to the past, with its retro-cool design, but at the same time it's a hopeful glimpse into a more entertaining electric future. One that isn't just about practicality, but also about the simple joy of driving. Or in this case, the joy of piloting a supercharged roller skate. I can't wait.
