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Honda is exploring the possibility of adapting its Type R brand to electric vehicles, as this popular performance badge has not yet been applied to electric powertrains.
At CES in Las Vegas this month, Toshihiro Akiva, head of Honda's BEV Development Center, commented on the issue during the unveiling of the first two Series 0 prototypes.
“The battery and the motor have different characteristics, so we can’t just repeat what was there before,” Akiva said. “How can an electric car provide driving pleasure? We certainly don’t give up, but it’s not just about power, it’s also about sound, vibration, acceleration and the human experience. That’s what driving pleasure is all about.”
Two 0 Series cars, a large sedan and a midsize crossover, will go into production in 2026. They will be the first of seven models on Honda’s new electric vehicle platform. However, the company has not yet revealed plans for performance versions, although the EV engines will develop up to 480 hp.
Currently, the latest Civic is a 143bhp hybrid, but the Civic Type R version, the only model in the UK with this badge, is powered by a traditional 2,0-litre petrol engine with 329bhp.
The market for performance electric cars is slowly developing, with Hyundai first proving the feasibility of creating fast and exciting EVs with the Ioniq 5 N, while the Alpine A290 will hit UK roads this spring.
Before Hyundai and Alpine, fast electric cars were mostly more powerful versions of standard electric cars without significant improvements to the chassis, brakes, or other engineering elements.
