What is it?

Honda is making its third attempt at gaining green credentials and this time around it is with a hybrid version of its most recognised car in India - the Honda City. Dubbed the City e:HEV, it is a series hybrid version of the car and is the first in its class to offer this technology. Here is everything you need to know about it.

What are the tech specs?

This Honda City e:HEV is a new top-spec version of the fifth-generation City sedan. Powering it is a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine running on an Atkinson’s cycle, which by its design is high on efficiency but at the cost of engine power and that’s where the electric powertrain comes into play. You get two electric motors - the smaller one plays the role of an integrated starter generator while the larger motor, also known as the traction motor, serves to drive the front wheels. The engine produces 96bhp and 109Nm of torque while the more powerful traction motor has an output of 125bhp and 253Nm.

There’s no gearbox, at least not in the conventional sense. Honda has fitted what it calls an eCVT, which is a single-speed unit that can spin up to a Formula One car-like 13300rpm and act as the go-between for the traction motor and the wheels. You also get a lock-up clutch mechanism to connect the wheels directly to the ICE for efficient driving at highway speeds.

How is it a hybrid?

Honda has named this system i-MMD which when expanded translates to an intelligent multi-mode drive and that should give you a clue as to how this system works. At low speed, you are in EV mode where it’s the traction motor and the wheels working to provide movement. The pure EV range is quite small as the battery pack, located in the boot, is not of a large capacity. However, it exists and gives green credentials in choc-block traffic where an EV does some of its best work.

Pick up the pace to above bumper-to-bumper speeds and the internal combustion engine comes to life and starts charging the battery pack which sends powers to the traction motor which further powers the wheels. Above speeds of 120kmph, the electric drivetrain goes offline and the combustion engine connects directly to the wheels via a lockup clutch. Think of this as a sixth gear that one would engage to keep these kinds of speeds constant in highway conditions. However, the ICE motor is also sending a charge to the battery pack at the same time. There’s no way for human intervention to switch between the modes as it’s completely automatic. You can look at it this way - maximum efficiency under all driving scenarios for high mileage. After all, with the kind of fuel prices we have today- “Kitna deti hai” is now the need of the hour, right?

If there's no gearbox, then why paddle shifters?

In an ICE powered vehicle, the luxury of paddle shifters means you can get all race-driver like and change gears without taking your hands off the steering wheel. Well, here it serves a different purpose and that is to control regeneration or regen as it is more popularly known. The energy produced during braking is converted into chemical energy a.k.a charge for the battery pack. You get three stages of regen, each more powerful than the previous one and useful depending on the traffic scenario. The regen turns off in full ICE mode and there you are driving the car like a conventional two-pedal vehicle.

How will I benefit from using this technology?

Well, there’s a two-fold benefit to having a car like the City e:HEV. The first is a company claimed mileage of 26.5kmpl which when combined with a fuel tank capacity of 40-litres gives you a theoretical range of 1060km. This is significantly higher compared to the standard City CVT Petrol’s range of 736km and this is despite the City hybrid weighing around 100kgs more than the standard car. This is of course on paper and when we can put the City e:HEV through the full battery of Carwale’s range tests, we will be able to give you a real-world figure.

The second is, of course, gaining green credentials, which is fast becoming the order of the day as the demand for EVs has picked up speed in India. But wait, there’s a little more. A hybrid set-up like the one in the City e:HEV eliminates range anxiety commonly associated with pure electric cars. The car matches the facilities offered by our road infrastructure today but with a green touch.

What about the variants for the Honda City e:HEV?

When launched in the first week of May 2022, the City e:HEV will be offered in the ZX variants of the fifth-generation Honda City. This means it gets the same design, feature list and cabin layout as the ICE powered ZX version. However, our sources indicate that there will also be a V version of the City eHEV and this is expected to arrive at a later date. It is expected to be priced in the range of Rs 18 lakh to Rs 20 lakh (ex-showroom) giving it a position even above the ZX diesel variant of the standard City range. Bookings have opened for the City e:HEV from 14 April with the amount set at Rs 21000.

Is there anything else new?

Yes, the City e:HEV in the ZX trim will be offered with Honda Sensing Technology. This is the Japanese automaker’s new ADAS suite that comprises of lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, auto high beam control, road departure warning, and collision mitigation braking system. In addition to the safety suite, Honda is also debuting a new version of its CONNECT connected car technology with this hybrid City. Expect this updated version to make it into other Honda models soon. Big news! We are driving the Honda City e:HEV at the end of April 2022 and should be able to give you our first impressions of the car on 2 May at 11am, so stay tuned for that.