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Honda on Monday said its all-new, spacious, five-passenger, low-emissions vehicle , the 2018 Clarity Plug-in Hybrid, has earned the highest all-electric range rating among all mid-size plug-in hybrids with its EPA range rating of 47 miles on a full charge. Honda added that the car, which is expected to launch out at dealerships across the United States later this year, has also received an EPA fuel economy rating of 110 combined MPGe1, among the top of its class, and a gasoline only 44/40/42 MPG rating (city/highway/combined).
Announcing the feat in a statement issued in Torrance, California, Assistant vice president, Honda Auto Sales at American Honda Motor Co., Ray Mikiciuk, said: “We think the combination of a class-leading 47 miles of all-electric driving range rating and a large, luxurious 5-pasenger package will give us an advantage in the plug-in hybrid game,” adding “The Honda Clarity Plug-in Hybrid represents the dawn of a new era, setting the path to a new generation of Honda products that will bring electrified technology into the mainstream.”
According to the statement, while on longer trips, the Clarity Plug-in Hybrid can utilise its hyper-efficient 1.5-liter Atkinson cycle 4-cylinder engine to generate electricity and, under certain conditions, to act as a direct power source, resulting in an overall EPA driving range rating of 340 miles.1
Deriving its electromotive power from a 181-horsepower electric motor producing 232 lb.-ft. of torque and drawing power from both the gasoline engine and a 17-kilowatt hour (kWh) battery pack with a recharge time of just 2.5 hours at 240 volts, the Clarity Plug-in Hybrid features three selectable modes – Normal, Econ and Sport – allowing drivers to customise their experience, maximizing efficiency or driving performance. A fourth mode – HV mode – is provided to maintain the battery’s state of charge and can be selected in conjunction with Normal, Econ and Sport driving modes.
Expected to be the volume sales leader in the Clarity series lineup, the Clarity Plug-in Hybrid will be offered in two premium-contented trims, standard and Touring.
Honda Clarity Series
The Clarity Plug-in Hybrid is part of Honda’s Clarity series, which includes the Clarity Fuel Cell, launched in December 2016, and the Clarity Electric, launched in August 2017. Clarity is a vehicle series offering customers an array of electrified powertrain choices in one sophisticated, spacious and comprehensively equipped five-passenger sedan, outfitted with premium, environmentally responsible materials.
Offering Honda’s “fun-to-drive” DNA, each Clarity variant provides a smooth, quiet and highly refined driving experience, aided by the seamless character of electric drive torque and acceleration. The Clarity series also features advanced technologies, including Display Audio with Android Auto™ and Apple CarPlay™ integration, and the full suite of Honda Sensing® safety and driver-assistive technologies.
The Clarity series is at the leading edge of the Honda Electrification Initiative, which includes the previously announced intention to have two-thirds of Honda’s global automobile sales come from electrified vehicles by 2030. This initiative includes a new dedicated hybrid car launching next year, an all-new Accord Hybrid, the Clarity series, and the expanded application of Honda’s two-motor hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains to multiple car and light truck models in the future.
