Go for a ride in Honda's new Accord Hybrid - KING5.com
SEATTLE -- Remember the first Honda Accord hybrid. The new model is Honda's second swing at it, and kind of its third, since there are two models. Accord is available as a plug-in hybrid which goes about 13 miles on battery power alone. This is the standard hybrid and it's much different than the systems Honda has done in the past. There's a 2. 0-liter four-cylinder engine and an electric drive motor delivering 226 lb-ft of instant torque. Total horsepower is 196. A second electric unit is a generator that also starts the gas engine. Which is nothing new, hybrids do that all the time. Then when the car needs more oomph, the gasoline engine kicks in but at this point it's not directly connected to the drive train, it's running a generator sending juice to the electric drive motor. Under light load, the gas engine can shut off so Accord runs only on electric power, even at highway speeds. This system does not have the rubbery dynamic of a continuously variable transmission but the engine does rev up and down even if you're traveling at a constant speed. This spacious interior looks pretty much like any Accord, other than a slightly different gauge cluster. Materials are good, Honda stays conservative here. Source: www.king5.com
