The most versatile hybrid car? Honda will introduce a new PHEV system next year

Electrification is the current development direction of the Chinese auto market, but each brand has its own choice of technology route. Most domestic and German brands believe that pure electric is the future, and have deployed products in the market. Pure electric is indeed suitable for the Chinese market, and there is policy guidance, but infrastructure and range anxiety do hinder consumers' further choices. Japanese brands are more cautious, and currently still mainly hybrid, with pure electric only playing a supporting role.

Take Honda as an example. It has been promoting hybrid vehicles since 1999. From the flagship product NSX to the newly released new Fit, all of them are equipped with hybrid systems. Five hybrid products, including Accord, CR-V and Odyssey, have been launched in China, and the i-MMD system has gradually gained popularity. On this basis, Honda has developed a new plug-in hybrid system (SPORT HYBRID e+ technology), a "perfect" power that combines the advantages of gasoline and pure electric. Ishikura Yoshi, head of the development and testing project of Honda's new generation PHEV and HEV battery system, told the media including the online car market that models equipped with Honda PHEV power will be introduced to China next year.

1. What is the difference between it and the ordinary i-MMD hybrid?

Before understanding the SPORT HYBRID e+ technology, let's take the i-MMD system as an example. Currently, Honda's domestic hybrid vehicles are all composed of a 2.0L Atkinson cycle naturally aspirated engine, dual motors, a small battery and a PCU (power control unit). It has three driving modes: "pure electric", "hybrid power" and "pure engine". At the start and medium and low speed stages, the vehicle can only use electric energy to drive the vehicle; in rapid acceleration, medium and high speeds and climbing conditions, it will enter the hybrid mode, the engine generates electricity and drives the motor together with the battery; in high-speed and uniform speed conditions, the vehicle will use the engine direct drive mode.

This "smart" hybrid system can adjust the vehicle's power source in real time according to the vehicle's operating conditions. "Honda's plug-in hybrid system has similarities with the above power systems, but the difference is that it uses a 1.5L engine instead of a 2.0L engine; the dual-motor system is optimized; the battery pack capacity is increased to 17kWh and is concentrated under the floor of the front and rear seats, which lowers the center of gravity of the vehicle and maintains the interior space; the PCU (power control unit) is equipped with a VCU (voltage control unit) that optimizes the system voltage, etc."

First, let's look at the motors. Honda's plug-in hybrid system has optimized the two motors, and the manufacturing process has changed from the previous round winding method to square coils. The advantage is that the proportion of coils in the total volume has increased from the original 48% to 60%, and the motor has been miniaturized by 23% overall, with power density increased to 1.4 times and torque density increased to 1.3 times.

In terms of the PCU power control unit, by increasing the power of the voltage control unit VCU (voltage control unit), the operation between the various electrified components is more efficient, allowing the maximum speed of EV driving to reach 160km/h. Due to the higher coverage range in EV mode and the increased battery pack capacity, the vehicle engine is less involved, the overall driving experience is close to that of a pure electric vehicle, and the cruising range is guaranteed.

It is worth noting that many plug-in hybrid vehicles currently on the market have good fuel consumption when fully charged, but once the battery is depleted, the huge weight of the battery will inevitably increase the burden on the vehicle, and the fuel consumption will also increase accordingly. Honda set a 20% limit on the battery at the beginning of the design of this system. When the battery is depleted, the power battery still retains 3kWh of power (1.3kWh for the Accord Hybrid). When the battery is insufficient, the whole vehicle is equivalent to a heavier oil-electric hybrid vehicle, and the fuel consumption level is still not very high.

2. What are its advantages compared to other plug-in hybrid vehicles?

Although plug-in hybrid models are still not mainstream, brands such as BYD, Hyundai, Volkswagen and Toyota have also launched products in the market. So Honda's plug-in hybrid vehicle "entry" time is already a step behind, how can it find advantages in products to make up for the gap?

Ishikura Yoshishi introduced, "Take the Clarity exhibited this time as an example, its pure electric range can reach 100km, and the battery output power is very large, which can meet the needs of daily scenarios." For reference, the pure electric range of Corolla PHEV is 55km, and the Elantra PHEV can reach 85km, which is already the best in the same class, while Clarity can reach 100km, and its advantages are self-evident.

"Secondly, in terms of quietness, Clarity has taken some measures to reduce vibration and noise. In addition, the design of the car body and the use of materials also use noise-proof materials as much as possible to reduce noise. Finally, the battery pack is placed under the floor, with a lower center of gravity, which makes it very stable during driving, and it feels smooth as flowing water when changing lanes on the highway."

Another point is that Honda's plug-in hybrid system does not use direct engine drive in engine drive mode, but uses a non-direct drive method similar to the "engine-generator-drive motor wheel" of extended-range electric vehicles. This is also one of the core technologies to ensure low fuel consumption when the vehicle is low on power, which is very different from commercially available models.

3. Can security be guaranteed?

Recently, some pure electric vehicles have had various accidents while driving, and the topic of whether electric vehicles are safe has been pushed to the peak of public opinion. Plug-in hybrid vehicles are similar to pure electric vehicles, and they also have electronic control systems such as batteries and motors. So how safe is Honda's system?

"The battery system uses water cooling, which makes the cooling of the battery pack more uniform. The water jacket is made of aluminum and is pressed into shape. Although it is thin, it is very flat, so the contact surface is larger. On the other hand, in order to expand the contact surface and increase heat conduction, we use resin between the battery pack and the water jacket for better heat transfer."

"This system has been tested in Death Valley in the United States, and it can work normally even at a maximum temperature of 50 degrees. So we have made many attempts in terms of metal thermal conductivity and the distribution and flow of cooling water to ensure that it can function." Ishikura Yoshi is very confident in the safety of the battery.

The battery performs well in high temperature environments, but how about battery consumption and battery life in low temperature environments? The battery performance of existing electric vehicles will be severely reduced or even unable to start in low temperature environments, which is also one of the important factors restricting the development of electric vehicles in the Northeast market. "The battery system can still start the motor in an environment of minus 30 degrees. Clarity is sold in Canada, so it can run normally in the cold environment of China. Although Clarity will not be introduced to China, the battery pack was developed with the global market in mind, so it can meet the needs of very hot areas and very cold areas."

Conclusion: Honda will introduce this plug-in hybrid system to China as early as next year, and will adjust the power according to market demand, and said it will cooperate with Chinese suppliers. But when asked whether it will use CATL or which company to supply the battery, Ishikura Yoshi did not give a clear answer. But what we know is that this system combines almost all the advantages of hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and electric, and can be used for both home and long-distance travel. Now what we are most looking forward to is which Honda domestic car will use plug-in hybrid power, Accord, CR-V or...?