Electric Honda Sports Car May Have Been Leaked in a Japanese Patent Filing

This supposed project could prove Honda’s mettle in terms of battery-electric, performance-oriented cars.

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Electric Honda Sports Car May Have Been Leaked in a Japanese Patent Filing © Electric Honda Sports Car May Have Been Leaked in a Japanese Patent Filing

Patent applications filed by Honda suggest that the Japanese automaker could be ready to reveal an electric sports car concept with up to 296 horsepower.

Images of intellectual property documents filed with the Japan Patent Office in December of 2018 were published Wednesday by Shropshire Star and depict a low-slung, two-door vehicle reminiscent of the 2017 Honda Sports EV concept car. Discernible cooling ducts are few, the only obvious examples being those just ahead of the rear wheels, suggesting that this could be a rear- or all-wheel-drive EV.

2019 Honda Sports EV Concept?

2019 Honda Sports EV Concept?

, Japan Patent Office via Shropshire Star

No technical information was published as part of the patent documentation, but Honda showed what its battery-powered cars are capable of when it announced the specs of its Honda E city EV on Tuesday. We can use these numbers to extrapolate a performance baseline for any possible Honda performance EVs, though take our speculation with a grain of salt.

The Honda E uses a 35.5 kilowatt-hour (kwh) battery to power its rear-axle motor, which generates a maximum of 148 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque. When it's not being floored from every stop, it's good for at least 124 miles (200 kilometers) of range.

We think it's fair to assume that with a single driven axle and an equivalent battery, the lower, more aerodynamic, and presumably lighter Honda Sports EV could have marginally better range in addition to stronger performance. That's assuming there's no more grunt to be had out of the Honda E's motor, but that only matters if the component is shared between the two models. Hypothetically, a twin-motor setup—one for each axle—could offer a promising 296 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque, but higher discharge rates could require a larger battery, significantly increasing weight.

2019 Honda Sports EV Concept?

2019 Honda Sports EV Concept?

, Japan Patent Office via Shropshire Star

We probably won't know any more about this mysterious concept car until September's Frankfurt International Motor Show at the very soonest; consider October's Tokyo Motor Show a more likely venue for a debut. That said, we can't even guarantee that Honda will ever formally showcase this car as a concept or a near-production model.

The Drive contacted Honda for a statement on whether this concept vehicle foretells the release of an updated Honda Sports EV concept, but the automaker declined to comment.

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