Honda Expands Fit EV Leasing to Select East Coast Markets

American Honda announced the all-electric 2013 Honda Fit EV, first launched in California and Oregon in July 2012, is coming to select East Coast markets later this month. The Fit EV will be available for lease at Honda dealerships in selected markets in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maryland, New York, and New Jersey. Customers will be able to lease the Fit EV for three years at $389 per month.

The 2013 Honda Fit EV, part of Honda’s diverse portfolio of alternative-fuel vehicles, has a combined adjusted U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mile-per-gallon-equivalency rating of 118 MPGe, an EPA-rated driving range of 82 miles, and an energy-consumption rating of 29 kilowatt hours (kWh) per 100 miles.  

“Expanding the availability of the ultra-efficient Fit EV to the East Coast is the next logical step in Honda’s strategic and customer-focused approach to growing the market for low-CO2, sustainable mobility technologies,” said Steve Center, vice president of the American Honda Environmental Business Development Office. “Combining Honda’s extensive EV experience with customers – which began 15 years ago with the Honda EV Plus – with the real-world feedback from early Fit EV lessees in several different markets will help us prepare for growing adoption of electric vehicles.”

Based on the five-door, five-passenger Honda Fit, the 100-percent electric Fit EV features a 20 kWh lithium-ion battery and a compact 92 kWh (123 hp) AC synchronous electric motor that generates 189 lb.-ft. of torque. The powertrain is teamed to a chassis with a fully-independent suspension and a driver-selectable three-mode drive system, resulting in an EPA combined city/highway estimated driving range rating of 82 miles.

An onboard charger allows the vehicle to be plugged into any household-type 120v outlet (dedicated GFCI outlet recommended) or an available 240v AC power supply. When connected to a 240v circuit, the Fit EV battery can be recharged in less than three hours from a low charge indicator illumination point. When connected to an outlet, charging can be started or stopped with an included Fit EV interactive remote control, through an available smartphone application or through the internet on a personal computer, according to the automaker.

Currently available for lease in select California and Oregon markets, the Fit EV is offered at a lease price of $389 per month² over a three-year term, computing to a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $36,625.

In addition to the Fit EV, Honda has included numerous technologies to improve fuel efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions, including the first EV leases in California (1997 Honda EV Plus), the retail introduction of America’s first hybrid (1999 Honda Insight), delivery of the first fuel-cell electric vehicle in the U.S. (2002 Honda FCX), and four generations of the Civic Natural Gas (first introduced in 1998).