Honda Fit EV gets 118-mpg-e EPA rating

As electric cars get better and better, The Honda Fit EV has been given a 118-mile-per-gallon equivalency rating by the Environmental Protection Agency, the highest rating of any electric passenger car to date.

Using a 20-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery, the Fit EV has a total range of 82 miles in the combined driving cycle. The EPA has estimated the Fit EV's annual electric "fuel" cost would be $500, Honda said in a release.

Automakers are adding electric and plug-in hybrid autos to their U.S. lineups to meet demand for vehicles that use little or no gasoline and to comply with rules in California.

Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Ford, General Motors and Chrysler have to sell a total of about 60,000 such vehicles from this model year through 2014, and more than a 1 million annually by 2025.