The Honda Accord Plug-In Hybrid is an alternative fuel version of Honda’s mid-size Accord car. Honda has been producing the Accord since 1976, and, over the years, the Accord name has appeared on sedans, coupes, hatchbacks, wagons, and a crossover. The Honda Accord is currently in its ninth generation, and has been one of the best selling cars in the United States since 1989, and some versions of the Accord have been manufactured in Honda’s Marysville, Ohio auto plant in the United States since 1982, the first vehicle from a Japanese manufacturer to hold this distinction, although all Accord Plug-In Hybrids are built at a Honda facility in Sayama, Japan.The Honda Accord Plug-In Hybrid comes configured as a four-door sedan. Though Honda revealed some information about a plug-in hybrid vehicle in development at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show, Honda formally introduced the Accord Plug-In Hybrid at the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show, to debut as a 2014 model year car. United States sales began in January of 2013, though only in California and New York.
The Honda Accord Plug-In Hybrid maximizes the use of its power by cycling through three differing operating modes: all-electric, gasoline-electric and engine direct-drive. The Accord Plug-In Hybrid also features regenerative braking technology, in which kinetic energy from the car’s braking is recaptured and sent back to the battery for storage or the electric motor for driving power. The gasoline engine in the Honda Accord Plug-In Hybrid is a 2-liter four-cylinder, producing 137 horsepower, and it’s paired to a 124 kW electric motor. Together, the gasoline engine and electric motor yield a combined 196 horsepower. The battery is a 6.7 kWh lithium-ion unit that helps enable the Accord Plug-In Hybrid to travel between 10 and 15 miles on full electric power, at a top speed of 62 miles per hour. After the all-electric range is depleted, the car switches to hybrid mode until it’s recharged. The drivetrain’s combined range is more than 500 miles. The Accord Plug-In Hybrid recharges fully in about two and a half hours, on 120-volt household current, and in about an hour and a half, if a 240-volt outlet is available. The gearbox in the Accord Plug-In Hybrid is a continuously variable transmission. The Environmental Protection Agency has rated the Accord Plug-In Hybrid at a combined fuel economy gasoline equivalent of 115 miles per gallon. Hybrid mode operation is rated at 47 miles per gallon city, 46 miles per gallon highway, and 46 miles per gallon combined.
Honda configured the Accord Plug-In Hybrid so it is available only in one trim level with a long list of standard equipment, based on the top trim level configurations of other Accord models. The Accord Plug-In Hybrid is equipped with 17-inch alloy wheels, power accessories, heated front and rear seats with power functions and driver memory settings, LED headlights, Bluetooth wireless integration, dual-zone automatic climate control, navigation, a rearview camera, an eight-inch touchscreen information display, a six-speaker surround sound audio system with satellite radio and iPod connectivity, and voice recognition. Safety features include adaptive cruise control, a lane departure warning system, a blind spot monitor that displays a view of the side of the car on the touchscreen, anti-lock disc brakes, stability control, traction control, front seat side airbags and side curtain airbags. The driver is kept informed of the vehicle’s remaining electric range, can search for nearby charging stations with the navigation system, and can use a smartphone app to charge the car remotely.
