New Honda Fit Becomes A Mileage Hit

Meet the new mileage champ: The tiny
2013 Honda Fit EV.

The little electric four-door hatchback hits a combined electric equivalent of 118 miles per gallon, according to
Environmental Protection Agency testing results announced today.

Powered by a 20-kilowatt lithium ion
battery, the 123-horsepower
Fit EV earned a final electric equivalent mileage of 105 mpg in the city / 132 empg on the highway, according to the
EPA. Of course, the Fit EV doesn’t burn any gasoline directly, but instead uses its battery pack to propel it an estimated 82 miles before needing a recharge.

That mileage number outperforms bigger and more powerful
electric cars such as the
Mitsubishi i-MIEV, which has a 62-mile range and 112 e mpg; the
Ford Focus electric, which has a 76-mile range and 105 empg; and the
Nissan Leaf with a 73-mile range and 99 empg.

Furthermore,
Honda Motor Co. says that the Fit EV can recharge its smaller battery pack in just three hours, when using a 240-volt
charger. No other
electric vehicle has as fast of a recharging time.

Honda will begin rolling out the Fit EV in select markets in California and Oregon this summer as a lease-only vehicle. The company will then expand Fit EV availability to the East Coast next year. The
lease will cost $398 a month, according to Honda.