It looks like the retro-styled N Concept 4 city car won't be the only Honda study displayed at this month's Tokyo Motor Show that will end up going into production as the Japanese carmaker's CEO Takanobu Ito told German magazine Auto Motor und Sport that the open-top EV-STER has also received the green light. The Honda boss revealed that the battery-powered, rear-wheel drive roadster could arrive in the market as early as 2012, adding that the company may also introduce more conventional version with a classic gasoline engine, without offering any more details. 
However, it's only reasonable to assume that the gasoline model would be a hybrid matching an internal combustion engine with an electric motor. At 3,570mm (140.5-in.) long, 1,500mm (59.0-in.) wide and 1,100mm (43.3-in.) tall, with a wheelbase of 2,325mm (92.5-in.), the tiny concept is marginally larger than Honda's 1990s mid-engined kei car, the Beat. In conceptual form, the two-seater features an electric motor that draws energy from a 10kWh lithium-ion battery and powers the rear wheels. Honda said that the EV-STER could complete the zero to 100km/h (62mph) sprint in 5 seconds flat and reach a maximum speed of 160km/h (100mph). The Japanese automaker also claims a driving range of around 160 kilometers (100 miles) and a charging time of under 3 hours using a 200V source and in less than 6 hours with a 100V source.VIDEO
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While not the NSX or S2000 replacements that enthusiasts have long been waiting to see, the Japanese firm's EV-STER concept shows that Honda still has some faint traces of sporty genes left in its DNA.
The pure electric roadster model is very compact in size measuring just 3,570mm (140.5-in.) long, 1,500mm (59.0-in.) wide and 1,100mm (43.3-in.) tall, with a wheelbase of 2,325mm (92.5-in.). That makes it slightly bigger than the Beat, Honda's mid-engined, two-seat roadster kei car that was produced from 1991 to 1996.
But unlike Beat's conventional 0.66-liter gasoline engine, the EV-STER is motivated by a an unspecified electric motor that draws energy from a 10kWh lithium-ion battery powering the rear wheels (nope, that's not a typo) and allowing for a 0 to 100km/h (62mph) sprint time of just 5 seconds and a top speed of 160km/h (100mph).
The battery can be charged in under 3 hours using a 200V source and in less than 6 hours with a 100V source, offering a maximum driving range of 160 kilometers (100 miles).
Honda says that the EV-STER makes liberal use of carbon fiber materials to reduce the two-seater's weight, while other highlights include a twin-lever steering system, multi-information instrument panels and a system that allows the driver to make his or her own adjustments to certain vehicle characteristics such as motor output and suspension settings.
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However, it's only reasonable to assume that the gasoline model would be a hybrid matching an internal combustion engine with an electric motor. 
