The 2014 Accord PHEV is now available at some California and New York dealerships. The car, whose specs were announced in November, has a base price of $39,780 and can be leased for as low as $429 a month. Most notably, the model has a 115 mile per gallon equivalent (MPGe) rating, beating out the 98 MPGe rating for the Chevrolet Volt and the 95 MPGe rating for the Toyota Prius Plug-in. The model will also be the first gasoline-powered vehicle to get the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle 20 (SULEV 20) rating, meaning that the car emits no more than 20 milligrams of emissions per mile.
The Accord PHEV can go 13 miles in electric-only mode, and the big question is whether that – and the other features – are enough to jumpstart the automaker’s advanced-powertrain sales for 2013, after a moribund 2012. The automaker’s hybrid and electric vehicle sales last year totaled 17,292 units, down 45 percent from 2011.
Honda may look to Toyota for clues on how the US will respond for PHEV spinoffs of existing vehicle models. Last year, Toyota sold 12,750 Prius Plug-ins, about five percent of the total Prius line. The Prius Plug-in has an MSRP of $32,760.
Read here for Autoblog‘s First Drive impressions of the Accord PHEV, and check out Honda’s press release below.
Accord Plug-In first vehicle to qualify for SULEV20 emissions standard
TORRANCE, Calif., Jan. 21, 2013 – The 2014 Honda Accord Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle, rated by the EPA at 115 MPGe1 in all electric mode, making it the most fuel-efficient sedan in America, went on-sale at select New York and California Honda dealers on January 15 with an MSRP of $39,780 and a monthly lease price of $429.
Combining hybrid efficiency with a powerful dose of instantaneous electric-motor torque, the Honda Accord Plug-In is rated by the EPA with a maximum EV Mode driving range of 13 miles and a gasoline fuel-economy rating of 47/46/46 mpg (city/hwy/combined). The 2014 Accord Plug-In earned the highest EPA MPGe rating (115 MPGe) in its class4, topping all plug-in-class competitors. In addition to being Honda’s first plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, the Accord Plug-In is the first production car in the U.S. to meet the new, more stringent LEV3/SULEV20 emissions standard, and will also qualify for single-occupant carpool-lane access in California.
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Honda Accord Plug-In Fuel Efficiency Comparison |
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Model |
EPA Combined MPGe Rating |
EPA Fuel Economy City/Highway/Combined |
|
Honda Accord Plug-In |
115 MPGe |
47/46/46 |
|
Ford Fusion Energi Plug-In |
100 MPGe |
44/41/43 |
|
Chevy Volt |
98 MPGe |
35/40/37 |
|
Prius Plug-In |
95 MPGe |
51/49/50 |
The 2014 Accord Plug-in Hybrid is powered by an all-new Honda Earth DreamsTM technology two-motor hybrid system utilizing a powerful 124-kilowatt (kW)
2014 Accord Plug-In Now Available for Sale and Lease
Electric motor that also acts like a continuously variable transmission (e-CVT) mated to a highly fuel-efficient 2.0-liter i-VTEC, Atkinson cycle 4-cylinder engine. Electric-only operation is supported by a 6.7-kilowatt-hour (kWh) lithium-ion (Li-Ion) battery, with high efficiency regenerative braking provided by an all-new electric-servo braking system.
To maximize driving efficiency, the new two-motor hybrid system allows the Accord Plug-In powertrain to transition seamlessly between all-electric EV Drive, gasoline-electric Hybrid Drive; and direct Engine Drive. Beyond its function as a fullelectric vehicle, owners of the Accord Plug-In will be able to choose two additional driving modes to manage battery capacity and tailor the capabilities of the vehicle to their commute. In its default start-up mode, the Accord Plug-In acts as a pure electric vehicle and will remain in full-electric mode until the battery state of charge necessitates the automatic switch to gas/electric hybrid operation. At higher speeds and engine loads, such as during aggressive acceleration, the gasoline engine kicks in to provide additional power. There is also a button on the center console that allows the driver to manually select EV mode – for example, if they want to utilize EV mode in their neighborhood, or in city traffic on stop-and-go highway driving when regenerative braking potential is increased. In the driver-selectable “HV” mode, the plug-in Accord acts as a conventional hybrid, blending electric motor gasoline engine power to maximize fuel efficiency while maintaining the battery charge level.
The plug-in Accord can be fully charged from a low-charge indication point in less than three hours using the supplied 120-volt charger when plugged into a standard 120-volt household electrical outlet (use of a dedicated GFCI outlet is recommended), and in less than one hour using a 240-volt “Level-2” charger5. The free HondaLink™ EV smartphone application will allow owners to remotely monitor the charging state of the Accord Plug-In.
Based on the Touring trim level of standard Accord Sedan but featuring unique styling cues, the 2014 Honda Accord Plug-In will be available in three exterior colors, including two standard Accord shades (White Orchid Pearl and Crystal Black Pearl) plus a model-exclusive Burnished Silver Metallic.
In addition to producing the Accord Plug-In, Honda has developed numerous technologies to improve fuel efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions, including the Honda Fit EV, Civic Natural Gas and the Honda FCX Clarity fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV). Honda has also led the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) rankings of overall vehicle environmental performance since 2000, and a Honda vehicle has topped the list of America’s greenest vehicles from the America Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) for 15 consecutive years.
1 124 city/105 highway/115 combined miles per gallon of gasoline-equivalent (MPGe) electric rating; 47 city/46 highway/46 combined MPG gasoline only rating. 13 mile maximum EV mode driving range rating. 574 mile combined gas-electric driving range rating.
Ratings determined by EPA. Use for comparison purposes only. Your MPGe/MPG and driving range will vary depending on driving conditions, how you drive and maintain your vehicle, battery age/condition, and other factors. For additional information about EPA
ratings, visit http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/label/learn-more-PHEV-label.shtml
2 MSRP excluding tax, license, registration, $790 destination charge and options. Dealer prices may vary.
3 $429.00 per month for 36 months. $2,499.00 total due at signing. Includes down payments with no security deposit. Excludes taxes, titles and dealer fees. For well qualified lessees. Subject to limited availability in New York and California only. Closed end lease for 2014 Accord Plug-In CVT PHEV (CR5F7EGW) available from January 15, 2013 through March 4, 2013, to well-qualified lessees approved by Honda Financial Services. Not all lessees will qualify. Higher lease rates apply for lessees with lower credit ratings. MSRP $40,570.00 (includes destination, excludes tax, license, title, registration, documentation fees, options, insurance and
the like). Actual net capitalized cost $32,768.63. Net capitalized cost includes $595 acquisition fee. Dealer contribution may vary and could affect actual lease payment. Total monthly payments $15,444.00. Option to purchase at lease end $20,285.00. Must take new
retail delivery on vehicle from dealer stock by March 4, 2013. Lessee responsible for maintenance, excessive wear/tear and 15¢/mile over 12,000 miles/year for vehicles with MSRP less than $30,000, and 20¢/mile over 12,000 miles/year for vehicles with
MSRP of $30,000 or more. See your NY or CA Accord Plug-In dealer for complete details.
4 Among available mid-size hybrid sedans.
5 From low-charge indicator illumination point to full charge.
