Combining electric propulsion with a performance orientation is a delicate balance. Tesla managed to pull it off to some success. Audi has toyed with the idea with its E-Tron concepts. And some have been experimenting with bringing F1‘s KERS regenerative braking system to road-going sports cars.

Honda, for its part, tried to nail it down with the CR-Z, which was supposed to be a hybrid sport-hatch, but like the Lexus CT 200h, it ended up lacking in the “sport” part of the equation. Which is why this latest development has caught our attention.

Just a few weeks ago at the Tokyo Motor Show, Honda showed off a tempting little package called the EV-STER. The concept spoke of a zippy little ride around town, all on electric power. Now, reports are indicating that, based on positive feedback from the show, Honda has already decided to green-light the project and put it into production. Sources suggest it will be ready sometime in the new year ahead, and could offer a more conventional gasoline engine in addition to the electric powertrain.

Of course none of this is to say that Honda would bring the production EV-STER to the North American market, but we’ll be excited if it gets built at all.

Honda EV-STER headed for production originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 15 Dec 2011 17:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Honda has whipped the sheets off of its EV-STER, a rear-wheel drive electric roadster not dissimilar in size and scope to the late, lamented Beat kei car. If you’re looking for a successor to Honda’s S2000 or a Mazda MX-5 Miata rival, this isn’t it – the EV-STER is significantly smaller than those cars, and with a pure electric drivetrain, this showcar is more suited to top-down fun in the city than the open road.

Purely a concept for the moment, the EV-STER offers a 160-kilometer range, a 0-37 mph (60kph) time of 5.0 seconds and a top speed of 99 mph, though Honda isn’t offering much in the way of hardware specifications.

Attractive in both general form and detail, we could admittedly do without the yoke-style steering interface employed here and in Honda’s other Tokyo Motor Show concepts. Steering wheel aside, we hope Honda finds a way to bring something like the EV-STER to market… and we wouldn’t mind if it weren’t a EV, either.

Continue reading EV-STER rear-wheel drive electric sports car looks to recapture Honda’s sporting spirit

EV-STER rear-wheel drive electric sports car looks to recapture Honda’s sporting spirit originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 30 Nov 2011 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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