I think you misunderstood what I was saying about the e-Golf thing being a compliance car, which it is, they have literally shoved a few batteries where the gearbox goes and called it a day.

The Honda EV is not a compliance car. Honda don't have to make compliance cars as they are the only ICE manufacturer that hits all emission targets and doesn't have to cough up for not meeting targets.

As for your car, lovely that it is, that most definitely is a compliance car and FCA have a true rogues gallery of far from efficient vehicles, even with the FIAT stable!

The Honda EV is best understood by watching the Fully Charged Show from a year or so ago when they were lusting over the prototype shown at the car shows. What the concept was turned out to be remarkably similar to the announced car, quite unusual for concept cars.

It does have doors for getting into the back seats. I can imagine being able to get a childseat in there. At 50cm or so longer than your cute 'n' silent Fiat, I think it is on a par for efficiency. There is also the matter of numbers, are you, FIAT, Honda or anyone else quoting WLTP figures?

According to Wikipedia:

The 500e is powered by a 111 hp (83 kW) and 147 lb⋅ft (199 N⋅m) permanent-magnet, three-phase synchronous-drive electric motor, and its 24 kWh liquid-cooled/heated li-ion battery delivers a range of 80 mi (130 km), and up to 100 mi (160 km) in city driving according to Chrysler.

Sounds like yours is an update of that, however, numbers aside, there is a different philosophy to it. The Honda gets 30 minutes quick charge time and it really is supposed to be light rather than dragging around a massive battery everywhere.

They know what they are doing and they have created a truly cool car. It has its own design and I think that is important to the desirability of an EV. I don't think people want an ICE car in EV flavour unless it is something retro cool like a refurbished VW bus.

As for not selling it in the USA that is because of the philosophy. It really is a city car. For people who live in typical European cities and Japanese cities as secondary market. London is an exception and even then the Honda E is as good as it gets for London. They say 'good to go for 125 miles' and I would be happy with that. In fact I would want this car, although cycling is what I do.

I would not dismiss Honda as an 'EV holdout'. Honda did make the original California electric cars, as per the EV1 era and they were first with the hybrid Insight. Honda factories are also 'zero waste'. So nothing comes out of a Honda factory to be landfilled.

You do know that your car as well as the BMW and VW ones are all the same Bosch technology under the hood?

It is like electric bicycles, quite a few of them from different makes have the same Bosch bits, others have Yamaha, others have Shimano and that is what you get - Bosch, Yamaha or Shimano.

So VW have just shoved the same Bosch bits under the hood rather than poured billions into it. BMW have invested in making carbon fibre bodies for their EV cars, but they too have the same Bosch bits as your car. Think of it like tyres, some cars of different makes have Pirelli, some have Michelin.

I would say Honda have done plenty of R+D beyond the needs of compliance. With the Honda E they did what everyone else is doing and went to Bosch. Then they made a well designed city car around the available tech. There is no need to do them down as an 'EV holdout', the stop-gap hybrids have done the job that BMW's M-sport cars haven't.