Honda Motor says its first electric light van for commercial use will go on sale in Japan in October.
The N-Van e: is based on Honda’s popular gasoline-powered mini vehicle.
The automaker expects demand to grow in urban areas for EVs that run short distances for purposes such as making deliveries.
Honda is not currently selling any electric model in Japan after production of the four-seater Honda e was discontinued earlier this year. It plans to bring more EVs to market.
Honda Motor Chief Engineer Sakamoto Takaki was in charge of developing the model. He said: “We believe our new model will be useful for people running shops like florists or bakeries as it can run 245 kilometers on a single charge. That’s enough range for business use. So we expect the market will expand.”
Japanese carmakers are betting on commercial use of electric models to help the country’s stagnant EV market grow.
Mitsubishi Motors resumed production of an electric light van in 2022. Toyota, Suzuki and Daihatsu have set up a joint venture to develop low-cost mini EVs.