Honda is bringing back the 49-mpg Accord Hybrid this spring
Good news, hybrid fans: One of the industry's best hybrids is back.
Honda announced Thursday morning that it will be bringing back the Accord Hybrid for the 2017 model year after having discontinued it for 2016. I guess engineers just needed a year off.
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Along with new front-end styling, the 2017 Accord Hybrid will boast an impressive, EPA estimated 49-miles-per-gallon fuel-efficiency rating, as well as Honda Sensing, the Japanese carmaker's suite of advanced safety and semi-autonomous tech.
Thankfully, it's techie on the interior, too. Honda has outfitted the Accord Hybrid with both Apple CarPlay as well as Android Auto.
If you're into power, the Accord Hybrid has some of that as well. In fact, it boasts 212 total combined horsepower, generated by its 2.0-liter gasoline, four-cylinder engine, as well as the car's dual electric motor setup, which replaces the need for a normal mechanical transmission. That means it's both peppy and efficient.
Confused how a car can operate sans transmission? Turns out, it's rather quite simple.
Basically, the four-cylinder has two electric motors connected to it. One motor always drives the front wheels and the second is used to turn the gasoline engine's power into electricity. The gas engine never directly drives the wheels but works to generate energy to move the car forward, which is passed through one of the two motors, depending on drive mode.
Perhaps explaining its drive modes will help clarify further. There's EV Drive that uses just electric power to propel the car. Then there's Hybrid Drive that uses the drive electric motor to turn the front wheels while the gasoline engine runs, which in turn drives the other electric motor that generates electricity to supplant the spinning of the drive motor. Lastly there's Engine Drive, which locks up the drive electric motor and the gasoline engine. As the gasoline engine generates energy, it goes straight to the wheels through the drive motor.
What's perhaps best about it is that even if you don't "get" or "care" about that clever drive system, you can still enjoy the roomy and comfortable 2017 Accord Hybrid.
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Topics Cars
