Honda Cars : 2014 Honda Accord Plug-In: Test Drive Review | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

Wow, this car looks wayyy better in black....

by Ryan ZumMallen 

Not many people will have the chance to buy a 2014 Honda Accord Plug-In when it goes on sale in California and New York next year, but those that do will find a car that performs the way we were promised gasoline-electric hybrids one day would.

Honda recently announced that pricing for the 2014 Accord Plug-In will start at $37,980 (plus $750 destination), a premium for the segment that includes the Chevy Volt and Toyota Prius plug-in. But the Accord is a leap forward for Honda, and in some ways, plug-in hybrids everywhere.

The 2014 Accord Plug-In is outfitted with the same features as the 2012 Accord Touring, the top-of-the-line Honda sedan, which means that an impressive array of comfort and safety features come standard. The Accord Plug-In feels like a warm and engaging luxury car that just happens to sometimes run on battery power, immediately making it an attractive alternative to the competition.

Inside, the Accord Plug-In sports very comfortable ten-way adjustable seats with adequate room for five. Technology is impressive but not overwhelming, with a large touch-screen interface and seven-speaker audio system tastefully worked into the interior. Soothing lights and sounds welcome you when the car starts, and high-quality glossy materials are pleasing to the eye.

Your experience from the outside may be a different story, however. We’ve discussed the, shall we say, unorthodox appearance of the 2014 Honda Accord Plug-In before. In person, the gaping front grille is a little less ghastly, but is still a design that only its mother could love. In an effort to differentiate the plug-in from its Accord brothers, Honda probably went too far with creative freedom.

But that’s not why people will buy the car, anyway. The 2014 Honda Accord Plug-In will achieve an estimated 115 MPGe with an all-electric range of 13 miles. The two-motor system is a first for Honda, and in a short drive around downtown Los Angeles, it came off as a refined and smooth powertrain befitting its price tag. Under electric power, the Accord Plug-In will pull mightily when you want it, and then subtly transitions into the gasoline engine as you gain speed. It’s a promising system that Honda should attempt to work into more vehicles, especially as the cost begins to decrease a bit.

Also very impressive is the standard LaneWatch system that shows a live video of your blind spot when attempting to switch lanes. Our own James Flammang wrote an explanation and review of the technology last week, here, and it adds a welcome level of technology and safety to the 2014 Accord Plug-In.

If you can get past its price and design, and consider yourself an early adopter of fuel-efficient technology, the 2014 Honda Accord Plug-In is a promising newcomer that deserves your attention. Only if you live in New York or California, though.

Source;
http://www.automedia.com/Blog/post/2014-Honda-Accord-Plug-In-Test-Drive-Review.aspx

Honda Cars : 2014 Honda Accord PHEV priced at $40,570 (USD) | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

By Andrew Christian

The 2013 Honda Accord has already started selling and will get two hybrid versions. Honda took the opportunity at the Los Angeles Auto Show to announce the pricing for the 2014 Accord Plug-In. In addition, Honda confirmed that a regular hybrid model will follow next summer. Honda has already confirmed the Plug-In Hybrid awhile back but has revealed that the Accord PHEV will begin to sell in only a few short weeks. By January 15, buyers in New York and California will be able to get their Accord PHEV, priced from $40,570, including destination costs. A hybrid tax credit has yet to be confirmed. For this price, consumers get an Accord with a design that’s slight different for improved aerodynamics. All of the Accord Touring creature comforts and features (such as forward collision and lane departure warnings, as well as a rear-facing LaneWatch camera) can offer up to 115 MPGe, the EPA said. The Accord PHEV has an electric-vehicle-only range of 13 miles.

At this point, the gasoline engine would kick in. It has an overall fuel economy of 47 mpg city, 46 mpg highway, 46 mpg combined. The range is slightly shorter than extended-range electric vehicles such as the Chevrolet Volt but the outcome is that drivers could recharge their Accord plug-ins in shorter than one hour with a 240-volt charger or three hours with the use of a 120-volt outlet. Furthermore, the Accord PHEV is eligible for California’s vaunted “Access OK” carpool-lane-exemption stickers, which permits single commuters to utilize HOV lanes.

There will be a less expensive hybrid available if the Plug-In costs too much. The 2013 Honda Accord Hybrid will appear more like the Honda Accords with traditional gas engines but it offers 49 mpg city, 45 mpg highway, 47 mpg combined due to its next-generation, two-motor Hybrid system that should offer a performance and economy that’s better than the current Integrated Motor Assist unit. These figures are nearly totally in line with those of the Ford Fusion Hybrid, which claims 47 mpg in the city, on the highway, and in combined driving.

Source;
http://www.4wheelsnews.com/2014-honda-accord-phev-priced-at-40570/

Honda Cars : Report: Future Honda Accord PHEV May Be Built in the U.S. | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

Written by: Jason Udy

The U.S.-built 2013 Honda Accord may debut with I-4 and V-6 powertrains, but the plug-in sedan variant is only one model year away. While the 2014 Accord PHEV may be built in Japan and in small numbers, a new report says that Honda may begin production of the advanced four-door in the U.S. as early as calendar-year 2015. With the yen-to-dollar exchange rate destroying any potential profits, though, until such a move occurs, Honda will continue to import Japanese-built Accord PHEVs to the U.S.

This won’t be the first time Honda has tried selling an Accord hybrid. From 2004 to 2008, the automaker offered an Accord V-6 Hybrid, but since the premium-priced car focused more on performance than fuel economy, it was discontinued. The automaker says that selling a hybrid version of a car alongside a regular gas-only model can be harder than selling a hybrid-only vehicle such as the Honda Insight and Toyota Prius because there is no non-hybrid variant of the same car that makes it difficult for some consumers to justify the added cost.

“The blended brakes’ handoff between regenerative and friction braking as you approach a stop — historically one of the hardest things for car companies to get right — is the best we’ve ever experienced,” we wrote in our 2013 Accord First Drive, about the plug-in variant. “The Accord PHEV is not quick off the line — in fact, it’s painfully slow — but it accelerates quite rapidly at highway speeds.”

Some PHEVs already on the market or soon to roll into dealerships include the Toyota Prius Plug-in, Chevrolet Volt, and Ford Fusion Energi. Final assembly for the Volt and C-Max is in Michigan while the Prius Plug-in is built in Japan. Does the location of where a PHEV is built matter to you?

Source;
http://rumors.automobilemag.com/report-future-honda-accord-phev-may-be-built-in-the-u-s-174811.html

Honda Cars : Do YOU Know All About Electric Vehicles OR Do YOU Just Know The Myths? | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

Here's a good read....
Soon enough it seems that all that will be available to drive will be electric vehicles. With governments across the globe embracing electric vehicles, and pushing for innovation and product development, the days of the gasoline-powered automobile look numbered.

But, are EVs so bad?

According to Plug In America, they are not. Granted, they may be slightly biased.Take a look below and scan through the top 12 myths about EVs. Do YOU think these myths are fact or fiction?

Let us know, SPIES!

Press release follows:

Plug In America, a nonprofit group leading the clean-vehicle movement, is issuing the following list of common misconceptions or “myths” about all-electric and plug-in hybrid electric cars. Media and others continue to misunderstand and mischaracterize this new technology. Thousands of these clean vehicles—many of them zero-emission—are expected to start coming to auto dealerships in late 2010. See Plug In America’s Tracker for a comprehensive list of such vehicles on the road today and expected for delivery in 2010 and beyond.

Acronyms and definitions:
· EV: Electric Vehicle, meaning all-electric (no gas)
· BEV: Battery Electric Vehicle or all-electric vehicle
· PHEV: Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle
· Plug-in or Plug-in electric vehicle: Either a BEV or a PHEV

Number of EVs Driven Today:

Plug In America estimates that there are 3,000 highway-capable EVs from major automakers on U.S. roads today:

· 800 Toyota RAV4-EVs
· 1,000 Teslas
· 150 Ford Ranger trucks
· 50 Chevy S-10 trucks
· 500 test-only BMW Mini Es
· 500 others including Solectrias and EPIC Mini-Vans

MYTH: EVs don't have enough range. You'll be stranded when you run out of electricity
FACT: Americans drive an average of 40 miles per day, according to the U.S. Dept. of Transportation. Most new BEVs have a range of at least double that and can be charged at any ordinary electrical outlet (120V) or publicly accessible station with a faster charger. The latter, already in use, will proliferate as the plug-in infrastructure is built out. At present, all it takes is planning for EV owners, who can travel up to 120 miles on a single charge, to use their cars on heavy travel days. Alternatively, a PHEV goes at least 300 miles on a combination of electricity and gasoline.

Myth: EVs are good for short city trips only
FACT: Consumers have owned and driven EVs for seven years or more and regularly use them for trips of up to 120 miles.

MYTH: EVs just replace the tailpipe with a smokestack
FACT: Even today, with 52% of U.S. electricity generated by coal-fired power plants, plug-in cars reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and most other pollutants compared with conventional gas or hybrid vehicles. Plug-ins can run on renewable electricity from sources such as the sun or wind. PHEVs will reduce greenhouse gases and other emissions, even if the source of electricity is mostly coal, a 2007 study by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and NRDC showed. Read the summary of some 30 studies, analyses and presentations on this topic.

MYTH: The charging infrastructure must be built before people will adopt EVs
FACT: Most charging will be done at home, so a public charging infrastructure isn’t a prerequisite. Still, a robust infrastructure will help, especially for apartment dwellers and those regularly driving long distances. But at least seven companies are competing to dominate the public-charging-station market and a trade group representing the nation's electric utilities has pledged to “aggressively” create the infrastructure to support “full-scale commercialization and deployment” of plug-ins.

MYTH: The grid will crash if millions of plug-ins charge at once
FACT: Off-peak electricity production and transmission capacity could fuel the daily commutes of 73% percent of all cars, light trucks, SUVs and vans on the road today if they were PHEVs, a 2007 study by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory found. Also, utilities are upgrading some local distribution systems to accommodate plug-ins, just as they do when residents add more air conditioners and TVs. Plug-ins, which can be seen as energy storage devices on wheels, can actually benefit the grid, making green energies like solar and wind power even more viable.

MYTH: Battery chemicals are bad for the environment and can't be recycled
FACT: Ninety-nine percent of batteries in conventional cars are recycled, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The metals in newer batteries are more valuable and recycling programs are already being developed for them. Utilities plan to use batteries for energy storage once they are no longer viable in a vehicle.

MYTH: EVs take too long to charge
FACT: The most convenient place and time to charge is at home while you sleep. Even using the slowest 120-volt outlet, the car can be left to charge overnight, producing about 40 miles of range. Most new BEVs and PHEVs will charge from 240-volt outlets providing double or triple the charge in the same amount of time. Charging stations that reduce charging time even more are beginning to appear.

MYTH: Plug-ins are too expensive for market penetration
FACT: New technologies are typically costly. Remember when cell phones and DVDs were introduced? Also, the government stimulus package includes a $2,500 to $7,500 tax credit for EVs and PHEVs. Some states are considering additional incentives ($5,000 in California and Texas). And, the purchase and lifetime operating cost of an EV is on par with or less than its gas-powered equivalent because EVs require almost no maintenance or repair: no oil or filter changes, no tune ups, no smog checks.

MYTH: Batteries will cost $15,000 to replace after only a few years
FACT: The battery is the priciest part of a plug-in, but costs will drop as production increases and the auto industry is expected to be purchasing up to $25 billion in advanced batteries annually by 2015. Some car makers plan to lease their batteries, so replacement won’t be an issue. The Chevy Volt PHEV will have a 10-year battery warranty that would cover battery replacement.

MYTH: There isn't enough lithium in the world to make all the new batteries
FACT: Even in a worst-case scenario of zero battery recycling, aggressive EV sales, no new mining methods or sites, existing lithium stores will be sufficient for projected EV production for the next 75 years. See an analysis at PlugInAmerica.org. Also, lithium comes from many countries (24% is found in the United States), so we won’t be dependent on any one global region.

MYTH: Lithium batteries are dangerous and can explode
FACT: Among the many kinds of lithium-ion batteries, lithium-cobalt batteries found in consumer electronics can pose a fire risk in certain circumstances. These risks can be mitigated by the use of advanced-battery management systems and careful design that prevents “thermal runaway.” Most plug-in vehicle makers are working with other battery types (such as lithium-iron-phosphate and lithium-manganese) which have inherent safety advantages and provide more years of service.

MYTH: Most of us will still be driving gas cars through 2050
FACT: Several irrefutable factors are driving the shift from gasoline to plug-in vehicles: ever-toughening federal fuel economy standards and state caps on greenhouse gas emissions; projected price hikes for petroleum products as demand increases and supply flattens or drops; broad agreement over the need for America to reduce its reliance on petroleum for economic and national security reasons; and climate change, which is occurring faster than previously thought, according to the journal Science and many other sources.

Source;
http://www.autospies.com/news/Do-YOU-Know-All-About-Electric-Vehicles-OR-Do-YOU-Just-Know-The-Myths-50647/