2014 Honda Accord Plug-in Hybrid preview | The Car Tech blog - CNET Reviews See the 2014 Honda Accord Plug-in Hybrid (pictures) - CNET Reviews "The Accord Plug-in Hybrid has three drive modes, which activate automatically or can be chosen by the driver. With a full charge in the battery, the car will drive as an electric vehicle, although the engine may start up at high speeds or under heavy acceleration. The car's hybrid mode is more intriguing. Similar to the Chevrolet Volt, it uses the engine as a generator, creating electricity for the drive motor. The battery pack will also contribute, using electricity from the grid and whatever it can garner from the car's regenerative braking. In the Accord Plug-in Hybrid's third mode, the gas engine mechanically connects to the drive wheels, giving additional motive power to what the electric motor can supply."
Bravo. Honda and many manufacturers are going down the right path. Once again skeptics will critique this new vehicle but in the end, the main goal is to ween ourselves off oil dependency. Honda, welcome to the electric "Plug In" game.
Quick thoughts: Sounds very close to the Volt concept. The HV button could be in a better spot. Trunk space looks smaller than my HyCam. 12V remains in traditional location. Nice package with two things missing: price and EPA estimates.
Wonder what the HV MPG is going to be. How much room will that 6.7 kWh PHV battery going to take up in the trunk? It is not clear if it is going to use traditional mechanical transmission or not.
It is very close to the fusion energi. 6.7kwh battery versus 7.5kwh, both with 2 liter atkinson ices and mid 190s blended hp in a mid sized car. Here's the picture from the original link See the 2014 Honda Accord Plug-in Hybrid (pictures) image 7 - CNET Reviews old information but no traditional transmission, I'll let you glean from that what you can. Honda Accord Plug-In Hybrid Prototype Drive – Review – Car and Driver
CR's car blog also has a write up: Getting a charge from driving the 2014 Honda Accord Plug-in Hybrid "According to Honda, the plug-in Accord operates as a fully electric vehicle (a series hybrid) up to highway speeds (about 50 to 60 mph). For the first 15 miles, as long as you stay below those speeds, the gasoline engine won't start. If the battery is depleted, the gas engine will run a generator to provide electricity. Above 45 mph, a clutch engages and connects a 137-hp, 2.0-liter, four-cylinder gas engine to the wheels mechanically through a single-speed overdrive gearbox, which is more efficient for highway cruising than electric power. If you accelerate moderately, the electric motor can provide some boost. If you accelerate hard at highway speeds, the car reverts to electric drive mode, with the engine acting as a generator. This delivers more power than either the battery or the gas engine alone can provide. The battery can't release enough energy quickly enough to take advantage of the electric motor's full output. So, the gas engine turns a generator to provide peak power to the motor. (The Fisker Karma works this way, too.)" Here's the exterior Here's the tiny trunk:
Seems like a Volt with a smaller battery pack. I expect the Plugin Prius to have better gas-only milleage given the energy lost in the generator. But it's clearly a step in the right direction. I hope it will not be too expensive.
It doesn't sound like HV mode is going to be efficient. At lower speed (below 50-60mph), it'll operate on series mode with conversion loss. At higher speed, the ICE can engage mechanically (single speed) so it won't have the flexibility of HSD. It can't lower the ICE rpm at high speed downhills. It surely can't reach 41 MPG (that of Camry hybrid). It may be able to top the Volt's 37 MPG in hybrid mode.
It is much simpler than the Volt as it only has one clutch instead of 3. It should have two coolants since the PHV battery pack is active air cooled. Volt has 3 coolants with the active liquid cooling. I wouldn't be surprised if this Accord PHV weight less than the Volt.
Nice to see more options. Real question above all others is how much will this cost? Probably too much.
i actually like crazy looks of plugin even if most dont... and interior is good... but trunk proves this is not a serious market car :-(
