Honda Ships First 2013 Fit EV to California Couple

Written by: Ben Timmins [G+] on July 25 2012 1:30 PM

Two long-time Honda owners in California are getting a special present for Christmas in July: a brand new 2013 Honda Fit EV in their driveway.

It’s been a little while since we first drove the Fit EV and proclaimed it to be both “commendable” and “rambunctious,” and this week marks the first delivery of the car to a customer. Currently Fit EVs are lease-only vehicles, available through three-year programs at $389/month, and only available in five select markets within California and Oregon. Availability will expand to certain East Coast markets next year, and Honda hopes to lease 1100 Fit EVs over the next three years. It now has 1099 to go.

The first Fit EV went to Matt and Becky Walton, who picked their Fit EV up at Woodland Hills Honda just north of Los Angeles. They promise to use the Fit EV as a commuter car, reserving their Odyssey minivan as their backup vehicle.

Here’s where things get interesting: the Waltons have been longtime Honda owners, stretching all the way back to the N600 and Z600 subcompacts back in the 1970s. The N600 and Z600 were considered to be the predecessors to the iconic Civic, and both were powered by 600-cc (0.6-liter) engines that put out 45 and 36 horsepower, respectively. The Waltons will be happy to know that the Fit EV makes 123 horsepower in sport mode, more than their old N and Z cars combined. The Fit EV is also rated at the equivalent of 118 mpg, which tops even the tiny-engined classic Hondas.

Provided you live in California or Oregon, the Fit EV is available–in any color, so long as it’s blue — right now.

Source: Honda