Promoted | Honda e: designed to keep you connected

The way we live our lives – and use our cars – is changing rapidly as we become more connected, and Honda has used the clean-sheet opportunity of the all-electric new Honda e to intelligent integrate this kind of thinking throughout its design.

We’ve already told you how much fun the Honda e is to drive and how practical it is to use every day, but how does the Honda e’s technology help you stay connected?

Well, this forward-thinking approach to cutting-edge in-car technology isn’t solely about making driving safer, easier and more enjoyable. It also means your Honda e can effortlessly and seamlessly integrate with the rest of your world – helping you share more, giving you greater control over your time, and making life smoother, simpler and more efficient.

Turning your car into a smartphone

At the heart of Honda e’s totally connected approach to technology is a five-screen digital dashboard that stretches the full width of the cabin – right from one Side Camera Mirror System display to the other.

Sitting in the driver’s eyeline is an 8.8-inch TFT instrument display that presents all the essential driving information, including battery power and charge status. To the right – filling the dashboard – are a pair of large 12.3-inch LCD touchscreens that give the driver and passenger access to all the Honda e’s key infotainment features, including a host of in-house Honda apps or smartphone mirroring with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.

Using all the intuitive functionality and customisation you’d expect of a smartphone or tablet, content can be easily swiped from one screen to the other, letting the driver and passenger view apps independently on separate screens, or letting them share content between screens for an even easier and more enjoyable journey.

Ever wanted to change your route midway through a journey, or find a café, hotel or petrol station near your destination? Or maybe you want to find that perfect album for the in-car singalong. Well, in the Honda e, there’s no need for the driver to try and do it on their own, as the passenger can load up the appropriate app and find the right information on their screen, before swiping it across to the driver.

Both the driver and passenger can also use voice commands to control key car features, simply by saying ‘OK Honda’, followed by a question or instruction. Honda’s smart intuitive artificial intelligence understands the context of your commands, letting you have much more natural conversation, and giving you even easier access to a range of in-car features and apps.

The Honda e even has a Wi-Fi hotspot for boosting the signal of your smart devices, while also letting you watch video content when you’re parked.

Turning your smartphone into a car

But what about when you’re away from your car? Well, the My Honda+ app lets you stay in contact with your car remotely via your smartphone. It’s just like having your car in your pocket.

The My Honda+ app is perfect for controlling how your Honda e is recharging remotely, letting you pick a time to start charging when the car is connected to a charge point, or switching off the charge once it has reached your desired level. 

That’s especially useful for home charging – letting you pick the time of day with the most cost-efficient rates of electricity from the comfort of your sofa, or checking the charge status before you go to bed. It’s also useful for on-the-go charging, when you may want to spend just a small amount of money topping up the charge on a public charger, rather than paying for a full recharge.

On cold mornings, you can use the remote Climate Control feature to warm the interior of the car while it’s still charging. That means you get the benefits of toasty heated seats the second you step into the car, without sacrificing any of the Honda e’s electric range. 

There’s also no need to waste time in the car planning your route, as you can pick and store your destination in the My Honda+ app, ready to tell the in-car sat-nav where you’re going. You can even check your vehicle’s location (with alerts if it is moved from a pre-determined destination) or unlock your car using the smartphone app as a ‘Digital Key’.

It’s this kind of thinking that lets the Honda e change the game for intelligent, all-electric cars – revolutionising not only how we drive, but also how we think about connecting with our cars.