In addition to the City of Torrance, which will use the car as part of the local government fleet, the carmaker will be gaining real-world information about electric vehicle use from participants at Google Inc and Stanford University, as part of the Honda Electric Vehicle Demonstration Program.

The Fit EV is based on the production supermini of the same name, known as the Jazz in Europe. Unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show last year, it covers up to 123 miles in city conditions and recharges in as little as three hours from a 240-volt American plug socket.

Preparing for the trial, Honda had been working with the city to discover prime locations for public charging points and raise awareness of the technology. A plug-in hybrid will also be provided, in the near future, for government use as part of the trial.