With Honda Cars Philippines already selling hybrids like the CR-V e:HEV in the local market, the brand provided a thorough breakdown of how its in-house developed electrified powertrain works.
The Honda e:HEV
As per Honda, the e:HEV system is comprised of a main internal combustion (ICE) component and two electric motors. One motor functions as a traction motor which drives the vehicle’s wheels in certain scenarios and generates power during deceleration. The other is a generator motor which converts the ICE motor’s output into electricity.
The traction motor activates automatically by switching between three modes. First is the full EV drive mode wherein only the traction electric motor propels the car, a hybrid drive mode where the ICE component works together with the traction motor, and an ICE-only mode.
By using these three modes, the e:HEV is said to gain an increase in efficiency. The EV-only mode is useful for stop-and-go traffic. In this mode, the car essentially runs like a fully electric car since the fossil fuel engine is turned off. The opposite of this is the engine-only mode where the electric motors take a break, while the fossil fuel engine does all the work. This, in turn, is used for high-speed cruising on the highway.
The e:HEV's hybrid drive mode
The hybrid mode meanwhile, is touted to be great for linear acceleration. Honda says that this mode achieves this by balancing acceleration Gs to the driver’s inputs and engine RPMs.
As mentioned, a Honda vehicle equipped with e:HEV actively goes through these modes depending on the driving situation. The result is a powertrain that’s optimized for environmentally friendlyness but is also efficient and fun to drive.
It is likewise hailed as a simple mechanism that reduces the impact of power loss via friction. Contrast that to single motor hybrid system which needs complicated engineering solutions to mix battery and engine power.
While all that sounds nifty, the e:HEV is only available in the Philippines via the latest iteration of the Honda CR-V as its top-spec model. At the moment, the CR-V RS e:HEV e-CVT is priced at Php 2,590,000.
The Philippine-spec CR-V RS e:HEV
In other parts of the world though, other e:HEV Honda vehicles include the Civic e:HEV, the Accord e:HEV, the City e:HEV, and the HR-V e:HEV, among others. Hopefully, in the future, we’ll get to see at least some of these hybrids on Philippine shores as well.
For more car news and automotive industry updates, keep it here on Philkotse.