CARLSBAD, CALIF. -- A black/brown cloud of polluted muck hangs in the California air above Interstate 15 as we fly along at 145 km/h, trying -- and failing -- to keep abreast of traffic as we head north toward Gopher Canyon Road on this four-lane stretch carved between two steep, imposing hillsides lined with million-dollar homes.
The air here is dry, the ground parched and covered with straw wherever sprinklers haven't gone to work feeding moisture to the desert soil. This is exactly the kind of place automotive-based air pollution is at its worst, trapped in valleys lined with speeding cars.
Naturally, this is where Honda has chosen to showcase its 255-horsepower 2005 Accord hybrid sedan -- its newest model powered partly by gas, partly by batteries.
Honda is billing this Accord, its third gasoline-electric production car, as the "no compromises hybrid." No compromises in that it is faster than a regular V-6-engine powered Accord and as fuel efficient as a Honda Civic.
It also drives just like any other V-6-powered Accord, albeit one with a slightly smaller trunk to make room for a battery pack continuously charged by an engine running on good old regular gas.
"This car is a technological show car, but it is a niche vehicle," Honda Canada senior vice-president Jim Miller says.
When the car hits showrooms in December, Miller says, it will star as the Japanese auto maker's flagship model, priced somewhere less than $40,000 and loaded with luxury features above and beyond the fancy hybrid power train technology. Expect it to cost $3,000 to $5,000 more than a fully dressed Accord EX V-6 now selling for $32,700.
Any more than that and buyers just won't bite.
According to a hybrid vehicle study from J.D. Power & Associates in the United States, the vast majority of customers are unwilling to pay a serious premium to drive an ultra-clean, fuel-efficient vehicle.
The research shows 59 per cent of buyers would consider a hybrid only if the fancy power train doesn't cost any more than a regular gasoline engine. At a $1,500 (U.S.) price premium, 43 per cent said they'd consider a hybrid. At a $5,000 premium, only 18 per cent of respondents said they'd consider a hybrid.
By packaging the Accord hybrid with everything from a climate control system to an ear-blasting stereo, this slick piece of engineering has at least a chance of capturing the 700 to 1,000 buyers Honda Canada is aiming for. Keep in mind, though, Honda Canada sold about 26,000 Accords in 2003. It was Canada's best-selling mid-size car.
Honda feels it needs to push ahead with its hybrid products, even if, as analysts insist, they lose money. Miller says that by 2008, there will be at least 12 hybrid models for sale in Canada, perhaps more. J.D. Power predicts hybrid sales will grow steadily, though slowly, for the rest of this decade.
This year, total hybrid sales in Canada and the United States combined will hit 101,000 vehicles, up from 48,000 last year, according to J.D. Power. The best-selling hybrid in Canada is the Toyota Prius, but since it was launched last year, Toyota Canada has sold only 1,300 of them.
It is, then, a tiny piece of the market, much less than 1 per cent of the roughly 18 million light vehicles expected to be sold in Canada and U.S. this year. J.D. Power estimates combined sales will reach about 440,000 in 2008. Ford, by comparison, will sell close to one million of its F-Series pickup trucks this year alone.
But there are pressures driving auto makers to bring in cleaner, more Earth-friendly vehicles. Government regulators are moving ahead with new standards for emissions and fuel economy. In California, which accounts for about 12 per cent of the 16.5 million new U.S. vehicle registrations annually, regulators at the California Air Resources Board (CARB) are drafting rules to compel auto makers to achieve as much as a 30-per-cent reduction in their greenhouse-gas emissions by 2014.
Greenhouse gases refer to carbon dioxide, a byproduct of burning petroleum products in an internal combustion engine. The agency has a long history of pushing reluctant auto makers to invent technology to make vehicles cleaner and Canadian regulators have always taken notice.
The CARB draft proposals contend the technologies exist to help car makers achieve California's CO{-2} reduction goals. Selling more hybrid gas-electric vehicles, for example, could help a car maker meet the California carbon constraints.
This Accord Hybrid, along with the Prius and hybrid sport-utility vehicles such as the Ford Escape Hybrid and Lexus RX 400h hybrid going on sale next spring, represent the kind of vehicle California regulators want the industry to push.
Beyond government pressures, there is the business case. Merrill Lynch auto analyst John Casesa recently sponsored a conference featuring Duncan Austin, senior economist of the World Resources Institute. He argued that auto makers risk significant damage to their earnings power and share values if they don't invest now in the technologies required to cut fuel consumption and emissions of greenhouse gases.
The issue isn't whether you believe global warming is real and that cars make it worse, Austin said. What matters is that most of the world's major car markets, including Canada, Europe, Japan, Australia, China and California, are taking steps to demand cleaner vehicles.
Companies not fully competitive in fuel-saving technologies or more reliant on fuel-thirsty vehicles like massive SUVs for profits could see earnings suffer as more countries tighten carbon caps.
Einosuke Nakahara, the "Large Project" leader or chief engineer of the Accord Hybrid, knows all this and has made it his job to help ensure Honda remains a leader in "green" technology. But Honda's approach is very different from Toyota and Ford's.
Where the latter two are pursuing a "series-parallel" hybrid drive strategy that allows their vehicles to run on either a gasoline engine, battery pack or both, Honda believes its "parallel" design is the most practical approach to hybridization. It weighs less, is less technologically elaborate and requires a smaller battery pack than the series-parallel design, which in essence employs two complete drive train approaches working together and separately, depending on driving conditions.
Honda's parallel system is by no means simple, however. In a nutshell, it integrates the hybrid drive assist into the operation of a traditional gasoline engine and five-speed automatic transmission. And the engine completely shuts down when you come to a stop, such as at a traffic light or in the snarled bump-and-grind of rush hour.
The key piece is what Honda calls its IMA (integrated motor assist) system. The IMA has two major pieces: an electric motor is positioned between the engine and the transmission to provide a power kick when you are accelerating and an intelligent power unit (IPU) that stores electric power in a compact battery box and controls the flow of electricity to and from the electric motor. The IPU is the brains of the whole thing.
In addition, the V-6 engine under the Accord's hood (a smaller four-cylinder does the job in the Civic Hybrid) uses lean-burn technology, variable valve timing and cylinder deactivation to maximize fuel economy and power. Honda's variable cylinder management (VCM) system allows for deactivation of three of the engine's six cylinders when cruising.
So what Honda's engineers have come up with is a ULEV (Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle) sedan with a 0 to 100 km/h time of 7.5 seconds, which is half a second faster than a regular V-6 Accord. Meanwhile, fuel economy is an estimated 8.3 litres/100 km in the city, 6.1 L/100 km on the highway. Honda says that is better than most if not all other mid-size sedans and similar to the Honda Civic four-door.
Nakahara says the Accord Hybrid builds on the basic hybrid technology that has been on sale in the Civic Hybrid since 2002, and in the two-seat Insight since 2000. In the Accord, however, the hybrid motor delivers 26-per-cent more torque, 20-per-cent more power assist and 11-per-cent better regenerative braking. The battery has 20-per-cent more assist power, 45-per-cent more output and is significantly smaller. Every bit of the system is more advanced.
From behind the wheel, it all works seamlessly, except the Accord Hybrid has more scoot than a normal V-6 Accord. The only real indication of when and how the battery and electric motor are working shows up in a bar display at the bottom of the instrument cluster. When the bars light up blue, the gas engine is getting a boost; when they go green, regeneration is taking place. In addition, a small battery icon shows how much charge is left.
The most remarkable thing about the whole driving experience is how unremarkable it is. We had no trouble staying afloat in the wild traffic of southern California, and when we tackled some tight, twisty roads in the countryside, the Accord Hybrid was able to corner and brake exactly as expected.
Of course, Nakahara says, fuel economy "depends on how it is driven."
There is also the question of reliability. Critics say gas engine/electric motor combinations make repairs complicated and even dangerous, given the high-voltage battery packs involved.
That is true. Still, the data to date is promising, though slim. According to J.D. Power, the Toyota Prius has a lower complaint rate than most compacts. And a search of service bulletins and recall notices turned up a surprisingly scant volume of mostly minor issues.
In any case, hybrid technology -- proven technology -- is now out there in different forms, which can only be good for the customer. It works, it works well and now it needs to become more affordable.
"It is a chicken and egg question," Miller says. "We have to get the [sales] volume up to get the price down. But as we go forward, people will have to respect the environment. This is also the bridge to fuel cells, whenever that may be."
Ah, hydrogen fuel cells and the whole question of when, and if, we will ever see the hydrogen economy . . . that is another story. But keep in mind, all the big auto makers have quite advanced fuel-cell technology at their disposal. It is a competitive must -- as are hybrids.
Accord Hybrid
Price: $35,700-$38,700 estimated
Gasoline engine: 3-litre V-6 SOHC
Electric motor/generator: permanent magnet
Combined power: 255 hp
Combined torque: 232 lb-ft
Transmission: Five-speed automatic
Fuel economy (litres/100 km): 8.3 city, 6.1 highway (estimated)
Like: Big fuel economy gains and emissions reductions with no compromise in performance and handling - performance is better in fact; Accord already is one of the best midsize sedans available and this makes for an engine option aimed at environmentalists; while not simple, the hybrid engineering here is quite elegant and relatively proven
Don't like: Loss of trunk space and fold-down rear seatback; fuel economy gains can be less than expected depending on driver behaviour ; added complexity of hybrid drive system leads to concerns about long-term repair costs and resale values
Ford Escape Hybrid
Price: $35,925 for 4x4 and $33,195 for 4x2
Gasoline engine: 2.3-litre inline four (DOHC) Atkinson Cycle
Output: 133 hp/129 lb-ft
Electric motor: permanent magnet AC synchronous motor
Output: 94 hp (70 kW)
Transmission: electronically controlled continuously variable transmission
Fuel economy (litres/100 km): 6.0 city/5.0 highway (manual transmission) Summary: Ford officials say their Escape Hybrid delivers the performance of the (200 horsepower) V-6 Escape with 75 per cent better fuel economy in the city and 50 per cent combined city/highway. One place where drivers will appreciate the sophistication of the Escape Hybrid is in stop-and-go city driving. When not needed to charge the batteries or provide extra oomph, the gas engine completely shuts down. In electric-only mode, this Escape has a range of up to about five km at a top speed of 40 km/h.
Like: Significant fuel economy gain and emissions reduction; pretty much all the utility and comfort of any SUV - hybrid or otherwise; a hybrid you can take on modest off-roading
Don't like: Like all hybrids, there's a shudder as the gas engine kicks in; pretty big price premium
Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra Hybrid
Price: Fleet vehicle pricing not available
Gasoline engine: 5.3-litre V-8 (OHV)
Output: 295 hp/330 lb-ft of torque
Built-in generator output: voltage, 120 VAC +5 / -8V @ outlets; current, 20 amps continuous total all circuits; frequency, 60 Hz + / - 0.25 Hz
Transmission: electronically controlled four-speed automatic
Fuel economy (litres/100 km): 14.3 city/11.3 highway for 4x4
Summary: This pickup is a "mild" hybrid. That means the electric motor doesn't add power while the truck is moving. The electric motor acts mainly as a big starter and alternator. It charges the batteries and lets the V-8 gas engine shut down completely at stops, then start back up again quickly. The fuel savings doesn't seem worth all the gadgetry.
Like: Huge towing capacity; double as a generator
Don't like: Not much fuel economy gain
Toyota Prius
Price: $29,990
Gasoline engine: 1.5-litre inline four (DOHC)
Output: 76 hp/82 lb-ft of torque
Electric motor: permanent-magnet
Electric output: maximum power of 50 kW (67 horsepower) and peak torque of 295 lb/ft
Transmission: electronically controlled continuously variable transmission
Fuel economy (litres/100 km): 4.0 city/4.2 highway
Summary: A very sophisticated family vehicle, though a bit smaller than the Camry. Hatchback design improves cargo versatility. Performance is very much like any other car.
Like: Sophisticated technology; pleasant ride; quality looks good
Don't like: A bit smaller than a typical family car
Honda Civic Hybrid
Price: $27,500-$28,500
Gasoline engine: 1.3-litre inline four (SOHC)
Electric motor/generator: permanent magnet
Combined power: 93 hp
Combined Torque: 105 lb-ft
Transmission: electronically controlled continuously variable transmission or five-speed manual
Fuel economy (litres/100 km): 5.1 city/4.6 highway for manual and 4.9 city/4.6 highway for CVT
Summary: Feels just like a normal car, perhaps the most normal out there. The electric motor exerts a lot of torque, which translates into quick acceleration. There is a nice engine boost for passing, too. A very nice little runabout, but a bit pricey for a compact.
Like: Looks, feels and behaves just like any other compact sedan; seems to have good quality
Don't like: A bit small for the price
