The redesigned 2013 Honda Accord is coming next spring, Tetsuo Iwamura, president of American Honda told journalists yesterday at Twin Ring Motegi. In late 2012, a plug-in hybrid will launch in the U.S., and although it hasn't been officially announced, it will be based on the Accord.
This, of course, is not the new plug-in Accord, rather it's a current-gen Accord with the new hybrid drivetrain in it. Honda calls it a two-mode hybrid, and this series-parallel hybrid setup with plug-in capability is a lot like the Chevrolet Volt and upcoming plug-in Prius.
In Honda's first mass-production plug-in hybrid, a 134-hp 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder engine (port-injected... one of the graphics in this entries mentions D.I. but we confirmed that this was a mistake, the engine is port-injected) will join forces with a front-drive electric motor (120kW, or 161 hp) that's powered off a 6-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack (a second electric motor acts as a generator). It's a much smaller pack than the Volt's, so claimed electric range is only 15-20 miles.
And that assumes you're willing to be modest with your throttle inputs. Floor the throttle and and the gas engine starts up immediately to supplement acceleration. And at higher speeds, the gas engine goes it alone with no electric assist. Although you'll see reference to an "electric CVT" in the specifications, this isn't a CVT in the conventional sense. Instead, as on the Volt, a planetary gearset and some clutches are responsible for blending the power sources.
ed124c says:
07:22 AM, 11/30/11
15-20 miless of EV driving is not enough for most commuters who are looking for a car like the Volt, but with more mature innards, cheaper and more practical. (The Volt only has seating for four and the gas engine is a bit crude, from what I have read.)
rayzor says:
07:55 AM, 11/30/11
Needs more work before going prime time....
angry_mushroom says:
02:50 PM, 11/30/11
This appears to be a standard hybrid like the Fusion or Camry...