Honda Creates Budget BEV Brand with Mitsubishi

Honda enters a joint venture with Mitsubishi, creating a battery-electric vehicle company while unveiling its own all-electric commercial leasable minivan.

The automakers announce the creation of Altna aiming to focus on bringing down the cost of manufacturing BEVs, enhancing the lifetime value of batteries and recycling processes and adding value to the nation’s electricity grid through battery storage with the aim to increase the proportion of renewable energy in the energy mix in Japan.

This company hits the ground running with the launch of the Honda N-Van e: due to enter the domestic market on leasing plans by October 2024. The new vehicle builds on the brand’s existing gasoline-powered N-Van, offering a comparatively large cargo space with a flat, low floor, high ceiling and a large opening on the passenger side thanks to there being no center pillar. The BEV version adds the function as a remote power source while being silent to drive.

It claims a range of 152 miles (245 km) on a single charge in WLTC mode, which Honda says should be sufficient for a commercial delivery business, and a claimed charging time of approximately 4.5 hours for normal charging at 6 kW output and approximately 30 minutes for fast charging at a 50 kW output. It also boasts Honda’s battery cooling and heating system to help reduce battery performance degradation caused by high or low seasonal temperatures.

Four types of N-VAN e: are available to meet a range of customer needs for both commercial and private use, including the standard e: L4 4-seater and the e: Fun aimed at hobbyists.