Honda EV-STER

Of all the major car manufacturers, the one which has truly pioneered eco-friendly motoring more than all the others and which enjoys the best reputation for engineering excellence and sheer quality is probably Honda.

This sleek looking sports car is a battery-electric two-seat, based on an all-new platform, which was made partly of carbon-fiber for the concept vehicle. This is rumored to be the base for a future production model.

The new car offers amazing performance for an all-electric vehicle, with a range of around 99 miles, a top speed of 99 miles per hour, and it gets from a 0-37mph in an impressive 5 seconds.

That kind of performance is great for an electric vehicle, but probably still a little too doddery for today’s market, which is why it has been rumored that Honda may yet introduce a hybrid model.

The Honda EV-STER Concept also features adjustable suspension, which allows the driver to choose between ‘mild’, ‘mid’ and ‘hard’ settings for different rides in different situations.

The Honda EV-STER is smaller than most other roadsters in its class like the Mazda MX-5. But it does offer comfortable room for two people though there may not be a lot of room left if Honda decides to make the car into a production hybrid, i.e. including a petrol engine with the electric drive train.

In short, Honda seems to have done it yet again, second-guessing the way cars will look five years or so from now, as a function of their own developments in cutting edge car technology. Where Honda leads, other manufacturers generally follow, saving money by following Honda’s concepts.

But if the kind of green cars customers are looking for is anything to go by, the Honda EV-STER or any car based on it, whether hybrid or all electric, could have a big future.