Honda has finally unveiled the much-anticipated Honda City e:HEV in the Indian market. “e:HEV” is Honda’s way of branding its strong hybrid vehicles, and the City e:HEV is one of the first mid-size sedans with a strong hybrid powertrain to be launched in the Indian market. With the Honda City e:HEV, the brand reiterates its commitment to a clean environment and offers a perfect balance between performance and fuel efficiency. Honda has announced that the pre-bookings for the Honda City e:HEV have commenced and the hybrid sedan will make its debut in May 2022.
What is e:HEV technology?
The Honda e:HEV technology is a strong hybrid engine setup with a twin motor setup and self-charging system. The powertrain consists of a highly efficient petrol engine coupled to an ISG (Integrated Starter Generator) that provides torque assist to the engine. The ISG helps the engine with low-end power during start-offs where most torque is required minimising fuel consumption. This setup is available in the mild-hybrid powertrain vehicles already available in India.
In addition to this, the Honda City hybrid comes with another drive motor connected to the wheels, capable of directly powering the vehicle. The single-speed electric motor is also capable of propelling the car in pure EV-mode at slow speeds and short distances, thanks to a lithium-ion battery pack. ISG motor for start-off power, electric motor for slow speeds and an efficient naturally-aspirated petrol engine for high speed as well as to recharge the battery pack, making it a self-content and sustainable technology.
Honda City e:HEV – Efficiency
The Honda City e:HEV powertrain can utilise almost 95% of the energy that it generates compared to 40 to 45% in ICE (Internal Combustion Powered) vehicles. Honda claims that the City e:HEV will return an ARAI claimed mileage of 26.5 kmpl. This means that the sedan will be capable of achieving a range of more than 1,000 km on a single tank of fuel. Thanks to the advanced system, the engine is kept below the 2,000 rpm engine speed, maximising the fuel efficiency. On the NEDC (New European Driving Cycle), the brand claims a mileage of 27.8 kmpl.
Honda City e:HEV – Powertrain Specifications
Powering the Honda City e:HEV is a 1.5-litre Atkinson cycle i-VTEC DOHC engine. The engine produces 98 PS of power and 127 Nm of torque. The electric motor makes 109 PS of power and 253 Nm of torque. The power unit uses an automatic gearbox with a lock-up clutch. The engine is equivalent to a conventional 2.5-litre petrol engine and one of the most powerful in the B-segment.
Honda City e:HEV – Safety
The Honda City e:HEV comes with all the standard features as seen on the standard City. In addition to this, the top-spec model also gets Honda Sensing. This includes Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) such as Adaptive cruise control, Lane-Keeping Assist, Road departure mitigation system, Blind-spot detection system and Collision mitigation braking system. The car also comes with all-four disc brakes, electric parking brake, multiple parking cameras etc. The Honda Sensing technology is in-line with the brand’s vision of Collision-Free Mobile Society Safety for everyone. The City e:HEV also comes with Honda Connect offering Alexa and Google voice assistant technology along with smartwatch compatibility.
Honda City e:HEV – Warranty
The Honda City e:HEV comes with a 3-year unlimited km warranty on the vehicle and an 8-year warranty on the lithium-ion battery.
Also Read: Honda plans to co-develop EVs with General Motors
