Honda Accord Plug-In Hybrid

Two electric motors and a plug, coming soon to an Accord near you.
January 2011
BY MICHAEL AUSTIN

While in Japan for the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show, we visited Honda’s Twin Ring Motegi racing facility to see some of the company’s future products. Among them was a plug-in hybrid system, a prototype of which was installed in a current-generation Accord. While the car we drove is just a development mule, we can confidently say that a hybrid like this one will be part of the lineup when the next-generation Accord debuts for the 2013 model year.

Honda’s new plug-in system is totally different from the single-motor IMA drivetrain found in the Insight, CR-Z, and Civic hybrids. The main powertrain components are a 2.0-liter Atkinson-cycle inline-four and two electric motors—one to charge the battery pack and one to spin the wheels. The gas engine puts out 134 hp and 111 lb-ft of torque; the drive motor is good for 161 hp, and the generator is rated at 100 kW.

We first saw this system previewed at the 2010 L.A. auto show, and the specifications are largely unchanged. EV mode works up to 62 mph for 10 to 15 miles. The gasoline motor can spin the drive wheels directly, bypassing the electric motor and returning highway fuel economy closer to that of conventional cars, which typically fare better than hybrids at high speeds. How this works is the curious part. My exchange at a powertrain display stand with a Honda engineer who was barely conversant in English:

“So how does the transmission work?”
“No, no transmission.”
“Yeah, okay, so the motors make a CVT like in the Prius? How does that work here?”
“No, the motor is direct drive.”

We went back and forth in this manner for about five minutes. When I then asked how the gasoline engine works at highway speeds, he told me that there’s a single ratio with no transmission. Take this with a grain of salt, as Honda’s specification sheet says the car uses an “electric CVT.” Later follow-up didn’t provide a more clear answer, so a better explanation down the road could prove the above to be inaccurate.

Going back to the engineer’s explanation, multiple clutches allow the system to work in full-EV mode, full-gas mode, or a mix of the two. When driving the wheels, the engine is always using a tall highway ratio, and the electric motor uses a single-speed gear reduction as well. At slow vehicle speeds, the electric motor can work on its own or feed in to provide assist. Conversely, in cases where the battery’s charge is depleted, the gas engine can produce juice using the generator, which then sends power to the drive motor; in effect, this means that the engine would indirectly drive the wheels.

Our test drive of the Accord was limited to a few miles at low speeds, but the system looks very promising. You can get a decent amount of power without activating the combustion engine (we were unable to determine, and Honda isn’t willing to share, the parameters that allow for EV operation). When the engine does kick in, though, its speed isn’t relative to vehicle speed, and it drones a bit—but Honda has plenty of time to rectify that before we see such a system in production. There is a slight delay between pressing the pedal and the gas engine kicking in, a feeling that reminds us of the Chevrolet Volt.

The Honda’s all-electric range is much shorter than the Volt’s. On the upside, its 6-kWh battery is lighter than that car’s. And the charging time, at around two hours on a 120-volt source, is a lot more attractive than the 10 a Volt needs from the same outlet. Honda didn’t provide any fuel-economy targets or estimates for the system.

Toyota, Ford, and Hyundai all have hybrids in the mid-size-sedan segment, and Nissan will soon return with a new Altima hybrid. Ford’s current Fusion in particular is very nicely executed and decent to drive; the 2013 Fusion will become the first to offer a plug-in option with the Energi model. So far, though, no one has figured out a similar solution for improving highway fuel economy in a hybrid. For a company that sold the first hybrid in the U.S. market and has since been eclipsed by its competitors, it’s nice to see some innovative thinking from Honda.

Source;
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/honda-accord-plug-in-hybrid-prototype-drive-review

Temple of VTEC: 2013 Honda Accord Update

The 12-month period spanning from mid-2011 to mid-2012 is huge for Honda, with their three top-selling models undergoing full model changes (FMCs). The 2012 Civic was first, followed by the 2012 CR-V, and soon it will be the Accord's turn. Honda will roll out the concept for the 2013 Accord Coupe early next week at the Detroit Auto Show, so we'll have our first look at the car's styling then. We have heard that the new designs are a little more aggressive, but one source that has seen this coupe concept indicates that it is somewhat of an evolution of the current design.

It should go without saying that Honda is feeling some pressure on nailing this new Accord: so far, the 2012 CR-V has been generally well received, but the 2012 Civic has taken an uncharacteristic beating by a chunk of the media (to the point that Honda has basically admitted the Civic's shortcomings and is working to address them for the 2013 model year). On top of that, the current Accord has trailed not only the Toyota Camry for the past few sales years, but the Nissan Altima even outsold the Accord by more than 33000 units in 2011.

So how does Honda plan on returning the Accord to a position of sales dominance? From what we've heard, the plan is to shrink the car's dimensions a little bit - we received the following tip from one of our sources:

"I have heard from suppliers that the vehicle will be on a shortened version of the current Accord platform, also a shorter wheel base, and overall length of 4-5 inches shorter than the current one. Width will be 1 inch less than current. Interior dimensions will be only slightly less than current."

On the powertrain front, we have heard several things there as well. Supposedly 6-speed automatics are coming to 6-cylinder Accord versions. We're told that the 6MTwill continue to be offered in the V6 coupe. On the 4-cylinder side, we're hearing there is the possibility of a 6-speed manual transmission as well a CVT. If the CVT materializes, our guess it will be the new CVT that Honda demonstrated during the week of the Tokyo Motor Show at Twin Ring Motegi as part of the "Earth Dreams Technology" family of powertrains. This CVT should deliver better fuel economy and better performance compared to the outgoing 5-speed automatic currently used in 4-cylinder Accords.

While I was in Japan for the Tokyo Motor Show, I drove a prototype Accord model that was coupled to a new "earth dreams" direct-injection DOHC i-VTEC 2.4L 4-cylinder engine and was impressed not only by the engine's strong and broad torque curve, but by the responsive and direct feel of the new CVT design. I generally despise the lethargic and "laggy" feel of CVTs, but this new "Earth Dreams" CVT exhibited none of these annoying traits.

It seems logical that this combination will appear in the new Accords, though it's unclear whether or not the full "Earth Dreams" package will be ready in time for the 2013 Accord's launch later this year. If not, look for it in a mid-cycle product update for the Accord.

Hybrid
The Accord Hybrid is expected to return to the lineup, though there seems to be a little bit of confusion concerning which form it will take. Some of our sources seem to think it will not be a plugin model. Honda has stated that their new 2-motor hybrid technology will support both plug-in and standard hybrid configurations. Honda has announced that they expect a vehicle with the plug-in configuration to go into production in 2012, while the standard 2-motor hybrid configuration would not go into production until 2013. Reading between the lines, that means that if an Accord Hybrid is launched along with the rest of the lineup in 2012, then it will most likely carry the plug-in technology. If not, then it will probably be use a standard hybrid configuration. For what it's worth, one of our sources has told us that they had heard that the plug-in technology would be saved for a unique standalone model. Stay tuned...

During my time in Japan, I drove a prototype of the "PHEV" (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle). This uses Honda's new "2-motor" Hybrid setup with the so-called "e-CVT" transmission. The fact is, there is no real transmission - simply an electric traction motor, and a 2nd motor/generator connected directly to a gasoline engine that uses VTEC to operate in either an efficient Atkinson cycle or a more powerful Otto cycle when loads demand. At low speeds (below roughly 100kph), the electric traction motor handles all of the drive duties and either runs straight off of battery power, or when demands dictate, from electricity generated via the gasoline engine/generator combo. At high speeds, a clutch engages the gasoline engine directly to the drive motor, for a direct 1:1 drive through the wheels. The PHEV prototype worked quite well, delivering a good feel of smooth and torquey acceleration and keeping the car in pure EV mode wasn't difficult with smooth throttle operation. A sudden demand for full acceleration resulted in the gasoline engine suddenly firing up in order to meet the large demands for electrical current, but the maximum permitted speeds were so low on our driving loop I wasn't able to get a good feel for how this would translate to "real world" driving circumstances. As soon as I could get the engine to fire up I had to lift off the accelerator in order to not seriously breach our very low speed limits. Overall though, I came away impressed by the operation of the system, and if this is what ends up in the 9th generation Accords, it seems like it will be something that will impress many potential buyers, particularly if it lives up to Honda's "top of industry" fuel economy claims.

i-MID and other technology
Also, it almost goes without saying, but we're hearing that the new Accord will be getting the same technology features that were recently introduced on the 2012 CR-V. By these, we're referring to the color i-MID display with Pandora, SMS (text) integration, iPhone, etc. We have also heard that Honda was working on possibly adding a few more features to this integration suite, but with the recent NTSB developments concerning the possible ban of cell-phone usage in vehicles, they have backed off on these features for now.

Source;
http://www.vtec.net/news/news-item?news_item_id=1023953

First Drive: Honda Accord Plug-In Hybrid Mule

Honda’s reputation as an innovator and technology leader wasn’t earned with the first hybrid brought to the U.S. market or its stubborn commitment to a hydrogen-powered prototype. Honda built its brand on the fundamentals of its most accessible and popular vehicles. Americans admired the simplest solutions to the most complex problems; they respected diligent engineering that set a standard of continuous improvement; and they believed in the company that was consistently one step ahead of the competition.

The company that once sold an affordable compact so clean it met emissions standards without a catalytic converter is hell bent on owning the hybrid market -- small as it may be, Prius be damned, and cost no object. So next year, Honda will add to its crowded stable of hybrids -- CR-Z, Civic, and Insight -- with a mid-size plug-in hybrid.

Not your typical Honda hybridHonda’s plug-in hybrid powertrain is far more sophisticated than the simple Integrated Motor Assist system found in Honda’s existing hybrids. It is also significantly different than the configurations used by the Toyota Prius and the Chevrolet Volt. No matter whether the Honda plug-in is relying on energy from its 6-kWh lithium-ion battery or its fuel tank, the wheels are primarily powered by a 161-hp electric motor. A second electric motor functions as a generator to convert power from a 2.0-liter four-cylinder into electricity for range far beyond the battery’s 10 to 15 miles. If the driver calls for quick acceleration or exceeds 62 mph, the gas engine will also kick on before the battery’s charge is exhausted. Recharging takes about one and a half hours with a 240-volt connection.

The Honda’s unusual trick (all good hybrids have at least one) is that the gas engine can be mated to the front wheels through a fixed gear ratio. While single-speed transmissions are common in electric vehicles, gas engines require multi-speed gearboxes to match the narrow rpm band where the engine is most efficient with the wide range of road speeds. Both the Prius and the Volt use continuously variable transmissions to blend electric and gas power on its way to the wheels. Honda’s single gear ratio has been optimized for low-load highway cruising, such that the gas engine never engages the wheels below 40 mph. An electronically controlled clutch engages the engine when the computer decides to send power directly from the gas engine to the wheels.

A test drive shorter than its electric rangeOver an extremely short, city-like loop, we sampled the hybrid powertrain packaged in the chassis of the current Honda Accord. The electric motor is plenty powerful to move at a normal pace without calling on the gas engine. Stomp on the throttle, though, and there’s a slight lag in power delivery and a CVT-like audible awakening as the engine spins up to high rpm and parks itself there. The Honda mule drove with less moaning than a Prius but less engine isolation than the Volt. Maximum acceleration is adequate but not quick.

We were never able to discern if the engine was driving the front wheels, although that doesn’t necessarily mean the system is seamless. It’s possible that the computer simply never saw fit to engage the clutch during our limited test drive. Brakes are easily modulated by hybrid standards.

Honda has committed to production for 2012, but it hasn’t let on if the powertrain will appear in the next Accord or an exclusive hybrid model. If Honda delivers on its claimed electric range of 10 to 15 miles, the mid-size plug-in hybrid will be aimed squarely at Toyota’s forthcoming Prius plug-in, a car that will certainly benefit from instant recognition as a hybrid.

The mysteries that remainIt’s clear that Honda is hoping the more sophisticated powertrain will be a feather in its cap and a step toward reclaiming its reputation as a technology leader. For that to happen, though, buyers will have to respond to this hybrid more strongly than they have to any of Honda’s previous gas/electric cars. While the plug-in hybrid features some genuine innovations, its chance of success depends just as much on unknowns like styling, pricing, and fuel economy.

Source;
http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews/driven/1112_honda_plug_in_hybrid_mule_first_drive/index.html