Honda Plots U.S. Hybrid Resurgence Starting With Accord

By Alan Ohnsman - Oct 7, 2013

 

Honda Motor Co. (7267), first to sell hybrids in the U.S., plans a gasoline-electric lineup overhaul starting with an Accord Hybrid it says tops Toyota Motor Corp. (7203) and Ford Motor Co. sedans as it seeks relevancy in the segment.

The 2014 version of Tokyo-based Honda’s flagship sedan goes on sale Oct. 31, with a base price comparable with a V-6 engine version of the Accord, and that’s rated as getting 50 miles (80 kilometers) per gallon in city driving. That’s just the start, said John Mendel, executive vice president of the U.S. unit.

Honda needs better-selling hybrids. Current models, including the Insight hatchback, CR-Z coupe and a version of the Civic, generate a fraction of Prius deliveries. Honda’s Insight beat the Toyota hybrid to the U.S. by about six months. Yet the company that led U.S. fuel economy ranking for years stumbled in designing a compelling challenger to Prius.

“Accord is a great place for us to stop the science experiments and really make a name for our hybrids,” Mendel said in an interview in San Antonio last week. “We’re known for fuel economy, but in hybrids, it’s about relevance and volume. We think Accord can do that.”

The Accord Hybrid’s label rating, a combined 47 mpg in city and highway driving based on U.S. government tests, ranks it behind only Prius, a mid-size car that averages 51 mpg in the city, 48 mpg on the highway and 50 mpg combined, the best of any non-rechargeable vehicle in the U.S.

While Ford (F)’s Fusion hybrid is also rated 47 mpg combined, Ford faces lawsuits claiming the car’s mileage is overstated. Toyota’s hybrid Camry averages a combined 41 mpg.

Prius’ Shadow

Toyota expects to sell 250,000 Prius models this year. By comparison, Honda’s current hybrid line is on a pace to sell about 19,000 vehicles this year.

Combined sales of hybrids, plug-in hybrids and battery-only autos are headed for a record this year. Through September U.S. car buyers bought about 450,000 such vehicles, based on data compiled by Bloomberg, up 28 percent from about 352,000 a year earlier. Last year was a record for electric-drive vehicles, with sales of about 475,000 cars and light trucks.

Honda anticipates sales of Accord Hybrid, priced from $29,155 to $34,905, will fall in the “2,500 to 4,000” units per month range of Ford’s Fusion Hybrid and the Toyota Camry Hybrid, Mendel said.

The Accord Hybrid’s new two-motor powertrain has components adapted from Honda’s futuristic FCX Clarity hydrogen fuel-cell sedan and battery-electric Fit EV, Hiroo Shimada, the chief engineer who oversaw development of the Accord system, said in an interview.

Accord Sales

The Accord is the second-best-selling mid-size sedan in the U.S. this year, with 282,102 deliveries, behind Camry’s 318,990. The pattern has changed little for more than a decade.

Following the Accord, the company this year also releases a three-motor, all-wheel drive “sport hybrid” version of the premium Acura RLX sedan. A variation of its so-called SH-AWD powertrain will also be used in the 2015 NSX supercar Honda plans to build in Ohio, the company said.

For lower-priced small vehicles, Honda has a new single-motor, dual clutch powertrain that’s being used first on a version of the new Fit subcompact that’s gone on sale in Japan.

There’s no plan to sell Fit hybrids in the U.S. Still, the car’s gasoline-electric system may appear on other models, Mendel said.

“It’s a surprisingly fuel-efficient system,” he said.

New Models

New Honda and Acura hybrids are in the works, in part to help the company comply with the U.S. government’s push to double the average fuel efficiency of new vehicles by 2025, as well as to address volatile fuel prices, Mendel said. The company also wants to burnish its reputation as an industry leader in fuel economy and advanced technology, he said.

Accord Hybrid “can be a great entry point to establish our manufacturing prowess and development expertise in the hybrid area,” Mendel said. “Fifty miles a gallon is going to cut through.”

Honda’s American depositary receipts fell 1.2 percent to $37.91 at the close yesterday in New York. They have gained 2.6 percent this year, compared with a 14 percent advance in the benchmark NYSE Composite Index.

Source;
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-10-07/honda-plots-u-s-hybrid-resurgence-starting-with-accord.html

2015 Honda Fit: 86 mpg from the next hyper-efficient hybrid

Could your next car get 86 mpg? It might if it’s a Honda. The next-generation Honda Fit subcompact will be unveiled this fall and arrive in the US in the first half of 2014. Most of the buzz over the new Fit, called the Honda Jazz in some countries) is the hybrid version, which promises a 35% improvement in fuel economy. The US currently gets the gasoline Honda Fit and EV Fit — not the hybrid Fit — but that could change with the next model.

On a Japanese test cycle, 2014 Fit Hybrid fuel economy will be on the order of 2.7 liters consumed per 100 km or 85.6 US mpg. That’s a mathematical conversion that doesn’t account for the US test cycle. But still, it could be the most efficient hybrid if and when it arrives stateside. Currently the most efficient non-EV cars sold in the US are the Toyota Prius C and Toyota Prius, each with 50 mpg combined EPA rating, 53 mpg and 51 mpg city ratings for the Prius C and Prius, respectively. The 2013 Honda Fit gets 29-31 mpg combined depending on the transmission or 33-35 mpg highway; the Honda Fit EV gets 118 mpg-e (miles per gallon equivalent), best in the category the EPA calls small station wagons.

Atkinson engine, 7-speed double clutch transmission, electric motor

Under the umbrella of Honda’s Earth Dreams Technology program, the new Fit Hybrid will be the first to employ Honda’s Intelligent Dual Clutch Drive system, or i-DCD. The gasoline power comes from a 1.5-liter, four-cylinder Atkinson cycle engine. A single electric motor is packaged with a seven-speed dual clutch transmission, linked through an intelligent power unit (IPU) to a lithium-ion storage battery. An Atkinson engine has an effectively shorter compression stroke (when the piston moves upward) than the downward power stroke, accomplished by not immediately closing each cylinder’s intake valve. It captures more of the power in the fuel-air mixture.

When starting out, the clutches disengage the gas engine and the Fit Hybrid starts off on battery power. The clutches engage the engine and gearbox under sporty (hard) acceleration and at higher speeds. When the Fit Hybrid decelerates, the gas engine is again disengaged.

Honda has claimed a 35% increase is compared to the current Fit Hybrid’s integrated motor assist (IMA) configuration. The IMA electric motor only runs when the gasoline engine runs, functioning much like a turbocharger. This is called a mild hybrid or weak hybrid configuration. A hybrid such as the Prius that can run on battery power alone is a strong hybrid, and who wouldn’t prefer strong over mild, let alone weak?
IMA may be cost-effective tech, but lots of hybrid owners want to see — and show their friends — a car that runs on battery alone for a mile or two. This is what happens when you let engineers have input into how a company runs: They pick solutions that make cost-effective sense. Sometimes the market agrees, other times not. Honda has long argued nobody needs an engine of more than six cylinders and it turns out they’re right, but that hurt the Acura brand competing against V8 offerings from Lexus, Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz the last two decades. Honda has also been one or two gears shy of the competition in transmissions, arguing that four or five forward gears was  fine — “look at our mpg figures, not the numbers of gears.” Now, they too are creeping upwards to as many as seven (the industry record is currently nine). The IMA hybrid is giving way to the i-DCD hybrid. At the very least, IMA served its purpose and Honda is moving on to a more efficient technology.

Source;
http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/163462-honda-fit-86-mpg-from-the-next-hyper-efficient-hybrid

Automobile Mag: 2014 Honda Accord PHEV Driven

by Anne White www.automobilemag.com

There's something a little unsettling about driving the 2014 Honda Accord Plug-in Hybrid in all-electric mode. Press the push-button start, and the dash lights up and tells you the car is ready to go. But if you're waiting for the reassuring grumble of an engine turning over, you're going to be waiting a long time. This Accord is riding the wave of the future, and where it's going, you don't need (as many) gas pumps.  

The 2014 Honda Accord Plug-in Hybrid hit dealer showrooms in January 2013. With an EPA rating of 115 mpg-e combined, it is one of the most efficient cars money can buy. The Accord PHEV owes that rating to its 6.7 kWh battery, which Honda says can give drivers up to 15 miles of all-electric range when fully charged.

Is fifteen miles of range enough?
By adopting a sedate driving style and sticking to city streets, where the Accord PHEV can make the most of its regenerative braking capability, it's fairly easy to drive ten or more miles without engaging the 137-horsepower, 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine (combined with the electric motor, net system output is 141 hp). Still, we eked out a full 15 miles of battery-powered travel just once during our weekend with the Accord.

Driving at high speeds and using climate control will significantly decrease electric driving range. And forget about full-throttle acceleration. The Accord Plug-in can travel in electric mode at speeds of up to 80 mph, but anything other than light acceleration will make the gasoline engine kick in to lend a hand.  

For our purposes, the Accord PHEV proved perfect. Our short commute on city streets with a 240-volt charging port at the end of it makes us the ideal customer for a plug-in hybrid. The car charges in just an hour with a 240-volt outlet and three hours with a 120-volt outlet, so by lunchtime the Accord is topped up and ready to go. (The speed of battery charging is the real differentiator in plug-in hybrids and EVs, we've found.) Plug it in again after lunch for the drive home, and we've gone 24 hours and almost as many miles without a drop of gasoline. 

Plug-in means flexibility
Left to its own devices, the Accord Plug-in automatically depletes its battery charge before switching to its gasoline engine. Yet drivers can also elect to save battery charge for later, say if they're driving fifty miles on the highway before ending up on city streets, which is a worthwhile feature.  

We like plug-in hybrids because the gasoline engine offers flexibility for drivers who sometimes need more range than a fully electric car could offer, just as in our weekend trip to darkest Indiana. Yet the Accord Plug-in is by no means a family road trip car, as we discovered. Why? Two words: trunk space. Because of the big battery pack, there's hardly room for a couple of overnight bags back there, so forget about packing a volleyball net or a few bags of groceries. If you're traveling in the Accord PHEV, you'll be traveling light.  

The 2014 Honda Accord Plug-in is good at what it does. It returns truly impressive gas mileage, drives well in the city and on the highway, and makes up for its short battery life with a very quick recharging time. Passengers found the ride smooth and were impressed by the car's standard technology, like a blind-spot camera that turns on when the right turn signal is engaged. The Accord PHEV suffers from slightly dorky "Look, I'm an EV!" styling -- those aerodynamic wheels may help fuel economy but they're not going to help you get a date -- but its crimes of fashion aren't egregious.

Better than the competition?
Good it may be, but how does the 2014 Honda Accord Plug-in stack up to the competition? It's a fairly even fight. The Ford Fusion Energi gets up to 21 miles of electric range, and it's available with leather seating, while the Accord is only available with Honda's tacky, eco-friendly cloth seats. Both cars start right around $40,000. Both are eligible for federal tax credits -- $3,750 for the Fusion Energi and $3,334 for the Accord Plug-in. 

They'll both serve you well, if a plug-in hybrid is what you're looking for. What's not clear is just how many people are looking for them. The Honda Accord Plug-in has sold just 200 copies in six months in the two states where it's available, California and New York. Honda says it's only planning to sell 1,100 of the vehicles in a two-year period, so don't expect to see them on every corner.

Source (with lots of other pic's);

http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews/driven/1308_2014_honda_accord_phev/

Edmunds: 2014 Honda Accord Plug in Hybrid

Pros

Plug-in hybrid technology; high fuel economy; premium feel interior; loaded with standard safety and convenience features; quick recharging times.

Cons

Considerably more expensive than the typical hybrid sedan; no folding rear seat.

What's New for 2014

The 2014 Honda Accord Plug-In Hybrid is an all-new model.

Introduction

Honda recently redesigned the Accord for its ninth generation, improving the sedan's interior and exterior styling. For 2014, the Honda Accord gains a new model, the Accord Plug-In Hybrid. With this new addition to the lineup, Honda becomes one of the few automakers to offer a midsize family sedan in a plug-in hybrid configuration.
Unlike Honda's other hybrids such as the Insight, the Plug-In has an all-new hybrid system that's capable of accelerating the car using pure electric power. And as its name implies, the Plug-In can be recharged externally, thereby minimizing gas usage. Honda says the Accord Plug-In provides about 10-15 miles of pure electric range, after which point it switches over to normal hybrid operation. In regular hybrid mode, this Accord earns EPA estimates of 47 mpg city/46 mpg highway and 46 mpg combined.
Like the standard Accord, the plug-in hybrid offers similar features and comes in one well-appointed trim level based on the standard Accord Touring trim. That includes LED headlights, a rearview camera, Bluetooth, a navigation system and monitoring of vitals like charge status, charging stations and even enabled remote charging controlled by smartphone apps. Honda says a full battery charge on a 120-volt outlet will take three hours, while charging on a 240-volt outlet takes less than one hour.
The family sedan segment is packed with more great choices than ever before, but the field is wide open for plug-in hybrids. For now, the Accord competes directly with the 2013 Ford Fusion Energi, which, like the Accord, bundles a lengthy list of winning features into a plug-in package. One could also consider the 2013 Chevrolet Volt. It offers approximately three times the electric-only range, though it only seats four and those in back will find cramped quarters compared to the Honda.
For now Honda will only sell the Accord Plug-In Hybrid in California and New York, so consider yourself lucky if you're interested in the car and happen to live in one of those states. We've yet to fully test the 2014 Honda Accord Plug-In, but check back for a complete evaluation in the coming months.

Body Styles, Trim Levels, and Options

The 2014 Honda Accord Plug-In Hybrid comes in one well-equipped trim level.
Standard features include 17-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, foglamps, dual-zone automatic climate control, full power accessories, a rearview camera, adaptive cruise control, a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, special "bio-fabric" upholstery, heated front and rear seats, an eight-way power driver seat (with power lumbar), driver memory settings and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. Electronic features include Bluetooth connectivity, an 8-inch touchscreen interface, voice recognition, a navigation system and a six-speaker sound system with satellite radio, an iPod/USB interface and smartphone app integration (HondaLink). Adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning and a blind-spot monitor are also standard.

Powertrains and Performance

The 2014 Honda Accord Plug-In Hybrid is powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine combined with an electric motor. Together, they send a total of 196 horsepower to the front wheels through a continuously variable transmission (CVT). A 6.7 kWh lithium-ion battery pack powers the electric motor.
The Accord Plug-In Hybrid offers three driving modes: full electric, gas/electric (switches when battery capacity depletes to a specific threshold) and gasoline (for higher speeds or under high demand for acceleration). Additionally, two sub-modes tailor the Accord Plug-In's hybrid mode. "HV" acts as a conventional hybrid, blending gasoline and electric power for optimum fuel efficiency, while "HV Charge" does the same, while feeding energy back into the battery.
The EPA estimates stand at 47 mpg city/46 mpg highway and 46 mpg combined.

Safety

The 2014 Honda Accord Plug-In Hybrid comes with antilock disc brakes, stability and traction control, active front head restraints, front seat side airbags and side curtain airbags. Blind-spot monitoring, lane-departure and forward-collision warning systems are also standard.
Of note is the LaneWatch blind-spot system, which instantly switches the 8-inch screen's display to a low and expansive view of the passenger side of the car when the right turn signal is engaged. A camera in the right-side mirror dedicated to this function provides a confidence-inspiring view, and acclimating to catching the view in the center-dash display is quick and natural.

Interior Design and Special Features

With a few exceptions, the 2014 Honda Accord Plug-In Hybrid features an elegant and well-constructed cabin trimmed with high-quality materials that you could almost mistake for an Acura. The center stack embraces the spirit of legibility with an effective three-tier layout, capped at the top with an 8-inch display.
Despite the new Accord's slightly smaller exterior dimensions compared to the previous generation, its interior room remains impressive. There is plenty of leg and shoulder space for front occupants, and rear-seat passengers should be quite comfortable and happy. Road and tire noise -- often among Honda's traditional weaknesses -- are noticeably reduced in the 2014 Accord thanks in part to two active noise-cancellation systems plus improved aerodynamics.
We're also fond of the visibility afforded by the Accord cabin, which offers a lower beltline, slimmer roof pillars and a generous amount of glass. Unfortunately, the presence of the plug-in hybrid's battery pack means the rear seat does not fold down, thus limiting the Accord's cargo usefulness. The trunk, at 8.6 cubic feet, is also considerably smaller than the regular Accord's.

Driving Impressions

We've yet to test the 2014 Honda Accord Plug-In Hybrid, so check back for impressions on the car's new plug-in hybrid powertrain and handling capabilities.

Source;
http://www.edmunds.com/honda/accord-plug-in-hybrid/2014/