[aniket13]

Originally Posted by TusharK

Rumour: Honda City Hybrid almost production ready for India

Honda is said to be gearing up to launch the City Hybrid in India. Rumours suggest that the car is nearly production-ready and could be introduced in the next quarter.

Without any real option above City, I hope Honda goes all guns blazing with features and build comparable to international versions, all while slotting this against the Slavia 1.5 TSi pricing. A penny more expensive and this could be a disaster. A sedan with a stature of City providing 20+ KMPL is certainly a good enough reason for buyers to consider - especially those who don't want to invest in an EV yet. More options in the market will always help buyers - fierce competition, better products, better pricing.

[vineetklkrn]

Originally Posted by TusharK

Rumour: Honda City Hybrid almost production ready for India

This is a good news if true. I bought a Honda City 5th Generation only a few weeks back, but I am a little worried about future of Honda India, and this launch from Honda will certainly be a happy news in that regard. HR-V launch will be even better.
The concept of Hybrid as well looks interesting. Will be keenly following this thread.

[PreludeSH]

I love the all black interiors of the car. These guys keep refining things and it looks great too.

The battery capacity looks too small. All the regeneration is for assist for the peak torque combined with engine. Electric only is not going to be a salient thing.

The engine does drive the wheels directly at the top most single gear ratio. With such powertrain, the VTEC will be missed

[Rohan1511]

I've been ecstatically waiting for Honda to bring the HRV Hybrid! But i feel they should wait and see the response of the City Hybrid numbers! Enthusiasts such as us already know the benefit of Hybrids and will definitely be keen to buy it once it's out, however, Honda India needs to translate this technology well enough for the common man!

I currently have the 4th Generation City which i consider to be the best City out there in terms of drivability and overall mechanical features, despite the pathetic Digipad!

[nTorq]

Originally Posted by TusharK

The City Hybrid will be Honda's first mainstream hybrid offering in India. The car is expected to be powered by a 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder, naturally aspirated petrol engine producing 97 BHP and 127 Nm and two electric motors. One of the electric motors is integrated with the petrol engine and acts as an integrated starter generator (ISG). The other powers the front wheels via a single, fixed-ratio gearbox. It generates 108 BHP and 253 Nm.

Can someone clarify if the petrol engine is meant to power the battery, which in turn runs the electric motor, which delivers power to the wheels? If this is the case, isn't this going to result in a massive loss of energy because it is getting converted from one form to another before the actual power delivery?

[AseemYadav]

If I remember correctly hybrids attract GST of 42% versus 28% for regular cars. That's a 14% premium without including the time input costs. This is going to be way more expensive than what most people desire.

[qaqa]

Originally Posted by nTorq

Can someone clarify if the petrol engine is meant to power the battery, which in turn runs the electric motor, which delivers power to the wheels? If this is the case, isn't this going to result in a massive loss of energy because it is getting converted from one form to another before the actual power delivery?

Well, my layman understanding is as follows -

a. The ICE runs at the optimal RPM at all times. Unlike an ICE in a regular car, the engine does not have to rev up or down. This makes the engine operation very efficient.

b. Since the ICE does not directly propel the wheels, the torque generated by the engine itself is not very relevant. The engine can be designed to focus on efficiency rather than torque.

c. EV motors and LiIon batteries are very efficient. Material I was able to find online indicates a total loss of < 10% in a modern EV.

d. While cruising at high speed, the engine directly drives the front wheels bypassing the battery / motor and hence eliminates even the minor power loss involved.

e. The system does not require a transmission, and thus does not suffer any transmission power losses which typical cars would.


I would defer to more knowledgeable members on the forum to throw more light on these aspects.

[deetjohn]

Originally Posted by nTorq

If this is the case, isn't this going to result in a massive loss of energy because it is getting converted from one form to another before the actual power delivery?

This 1.5 is a Atkinson cycle engine which is all about efficiency and is ideal for all hybrid powertrains. The electric motor compensates for or supplement its deficiencies, mainly the lower power compared to say Otto cycle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mA2INcHXzo&

[Alterlife]

Originally Posted by AseemYadav

If I remember correctly hybrids attract GST of 42% versus 28% for regular cars. That's a 14% premium without including the time input costs. This is going to be way more expensive than what most people desire.

I was under the impression that Hybrid cars fall under a govt scheme (FAME) which would make them cheaper until 2024.

[mohan41]

Originally Posted by Alterlife

I was under the impression that Hybrid cars fall under a govt scheme (FAME) which would make them cheaper until 2024.

That is correct as per this news article but it also says additional cess of 15% is levied on hybrids.

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com...3.cms?from=mdr

[StrikerK]

Any scoop on if this new Hybrid variant is going to feature the Honda Sensing tech as seen in the Malaysian version? That would be the perfect car, if it isn't over 2.5L premium over the existing ZX and Honda makes sure of better NVH which is one of the major complaints in the forum.

[rapid_fire]

Originally Posted by AseemYadav

If I remember correctly hybrids attract GST of 42% versus 28% for regular cars. That's a 14% premium without including the time input costs. This is going to be way more expensive than what most people desire.

AFIK regular petrol and diesel cars also have the compensation CESS, as high as 22% in addition to GST of 28% (total tax of 50%). Hybrid cars have compensation CESS of 15% at present which along with 28% GST makes 43%. Recently the Govt included hybrids also under the FAME subsidy (Rs.10000 per Kwh), however it will be negligible for City hybrid which has a battery capacity of less than 1 Kwh.

[SirJeepsALot]

Originally Posted by deetjohn

The acceleration looks quite good. Especially since this one is a proper jekyll and hyde.

https://www.Youtube.com/watch?v=V5_2EMQepX4&

I have been following this City Hybrid space for quite some time and this video makes me scratch my head.
To begin with, In this video, we can clearly hear some sort of gearshift taking place as there are periodic dips in sounds, just like a regular automatic transmission. However, since the City uses a single-speed gearbox, there should not be any shifts taking place and the acceleration/engine-sound should have been continuous, with the engine maintaining a constant RPM.
Am I missing something here?

[docted]

As per my sources Media Drive is being planned for April.

[deetjohn]

Originally Posted by SirJeepsALot

However, since the City uses a single-speed gearbox, there should not be any shifts taking place and the acceleration/engine-sound should have been continuous, with the engine maintaining a constant RPM.

it's got artificial shift points which is what we hear during acceleration. There is no transmission!