Honda’s efforts in creating a showcase Honda Smart Home US goes beyond the expected attributes of zero-carbon home life. It includes, as one might expect, a mobility component that adds electric vehicle ownership as part of the mix. Honda is building its zero-carbon home on the campus of U.C Davis, located near California’s capital of Sacramento where so much clean and green legislation comes to life. So, no surprise here. Construction and project overviews are included at a dedicated Honda Smart Home US website.

The driving force of this project is the state of California's goal of requiring all new residential construction to be ‘zero net energy’ by the end of this decade. Honda says its concept home will use high-efficiency HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) and lighting systems designed by UC Davis, enabling the home to use less than half the heating, cooling, and lighting energy of a similarly sized new home in the Davis area. The result is a home that will generate on average more electricity from on-site renewable power sources than it will receive from its electric utility provider.

An array of other energy-saving technologies are being integrated in the home including a solar power system that will provide enough energy for the home and for daily commuting in an electric vehicle like the Fit EV. A Honda Energy Management System also incorporates smart-grid technology that actively manages energy use and communicates with the homeowner and utility provider. This allows the home to maximize energy efficiency while responding to the needs of the electrical grid in real time. Many passive energy-saving and sustainability features are being incorporated into the showcase home.

In addition to the HVAC system, UC Davis energy research centers are focused on designing high-efficiency, cost effective solutions to major home energy loads. A particularly interesting project focuses on direct solar photovoltaic-to-vehicle charging, which would reduce losses associated with DC-to-AC and AC-to-DC conversion and substantially improve charging efficiency. PV-to-EV charging would also decrease EV-related CO2 emissions by avoiding the carbon associated with grid electricity production.

The opportunity to drive an array of electric cars back in the 1990s was enlightening on many levels, bringing home the realization that for many these cars were less than purposeful daily drivers. From my perspective, they were fun but also impractical for my longer driving needs. And as for their performance, well…good for electric cars but not so much compared to fun-to-drive, conventionally-powered competitors.

Segue to today and an opportunity to drive Honda’s new Fit EV. This electric car cuts a nice profile with its super-small exterior and provides a good amount of room for four inside. The new electric version is nearly identical in design to the gas powered edition with some slight modifications, including closing up the front air intake since it’s no longer required for engine cooling, plus some other subtle changes that only EV enthusiasts might spot. While early prototypes had huge ‘EV’ stickers on the flanks, our vehicles did not. Thank you for that, Honda.

The standard Fit has decent around-town handling and simple-to-operate controls, making it the perfect wrapper for Honda’s latest electric car content. Power is supplied by a 123 horsepower electric motor generating 188 lb.-ft. torque. The Fit EV is rated by EPA at a mile-per-gallon-equivalency of 118 MPGe.

Inside, the EV instrumentation is pleasantly direct without the standard video game styling that often overwhelms a driver in cars with this level of forward-thinking electronics. Among the controls of note here are those for the Fit EV’s three driving modes and a battery detente in the center mounted shifter that, when selected, increases regenerative braking during coast-down.

Each driving mode is indicated by color-keyed illumination within the instrument panel that changes from green for economy to white for normal and red for sport. The mode selected affects performance and the amount of battery power available for driving range. During our drive the least amount of range was achieved in the performance mode with the most in economy mode, as expected.

The Fit EV is a highly capable vehicle that comfortably transports four adults. Handling is surprisingly good for a car equipped with 20 kWh worth of lithium-ion batteries. It cut neatly through a Honda-staged slalom and braking course, exhibiting an ability to confidently handle transients faster than most drivers will require in the real world. Steering input is predictable and braking excellent. Frankly, it’s surprising how well the Fit EV handles when pushed to discover its limits, allowing induced oversteer when requested and plenty of squealing tires with a stab of the throttle in the sport mode. Transitioning to drives on Pasadena city streets replete with hills and curves was pleasant and uneventful.

Those interested in Honda’s new Fit EV will find this electric available at a monthly lease cost of $369 for 39 months with no money down, starting in select markets in California and Oregon. The Fit EV is not available for purchase, an oddity that harkens back to the electric vehicle test marketing days of the 1990s when lease-only arrangements were status-quo.

With its good looks, snappy EV performance, and three-hour recharge time on a 240-volt system, the Fit EV should be popular with today’s electric car enthusiasts and mesh well with many lifestyles. It’s capable of covering 82 zero-emission miles per charge by EPA estimates – and in real-life driving, certainly more – and does this without compromising on the looks and driving fun that’s important to so many of us. It could be, for many, the perfect fit.