Honda Updates Two Motor Hybrid System For Odyssey

The Honda two motor hybrid system used in the Accord Hybrid and Accord Plug-in Hybrid has been significantly updated for use in the new Honda Odyssey Hybrid that went on sale in Japan earlier this month. Compared to the old system, the new power control unit, which includes the electric motors, is 23% smaller and 27% lighter than the one in the Accord Hybrid, Honda tells Automotive News. The intelligent power unit, which includes the lithium ion battery, is 11 percent smaller and 6 percent lighter.

Honda calls its new system the Sport Hybrid i-MMD powertrain. It claims the improvements result in better power and fuel economy. Honda could utilize the updated system in a future version of the Accord, but nothing has been decided yet hybrid engineer Jiro Kuroki told Automotive News during a test drive. The company expects fully one half of its domestic Odyssey sales will be hybrids.

The Japanese Odyssey is a very different vehicle than what Honda sells in the US. It’s a smaller car built on a completely different platform. It is marketed in 22 countries around the world, mostly in Asia and the Middle East. Honda has no plans to add a hybrid to the U.S. version because it doesn’t see any demand for it, Kuroki said. That could change in a hurry, though, if customers start flocking to the newChrysler Pacifica plug-in hybrid van that is due in showrooms later this year.

Oddly enough, Honda led the hybrid vehicle parade earlier this century when it introduced the original Insight. That car has a single electric motor. Since then, two motor systems are all the rage, with theChevy Volt leading the way. However, Hyundai is bucking the trend by going back to a single motor in its new Ioniq hybrid and plug-in hybrid models. Hyundai says using one motor enables a significant saving in manufacturing costs.

Honda also announced that the batteries for its new hybrid cars will be sourced from Panasonic, rather than Yuasa, which provided batteries for the prior hybrid system used in the Accord. Panasonic also provided the battery for the Honda Fit Hybrid.

Honda Hybrid Minivan On Sale In Japan, Using Accord Hybrid System

In the U.S., Honda hybrids have essentially gone on hiatus this year.

For the 2016 model year, the only hybrid it sells is the aging CR-Z two-seater, which uses the carmaker's old Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) mild-hybrid system.

The Accord Hybrid--and its more sophisticated full-hybrid powertrain--is taking the year off, but will return in an updated version for 2017.

In the meantime, its hybrid system will find a new home in a rather different kind of vehicle.

A new Honda Odyssey Hybrid minivan goes on sale in Japan this week, using the same Intelligent Multi-Mode Drive (i-MMD) system as the Accord.

This isn't the same Odyssey as the one sold in North America, though.

Honda Odyssey Hybrid (Japanese model)

Development of Japanese and North American-market versions diverged years ago so Honda could satisfy U.S. buyers' demands for a larger minivan.

So the new Odyssey Hybrid is based on the smaller Japanese-market Odyssey that was last fully redesigned in 2013.

The front-wheel drive minivan uses a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine and a pair of electric motors, with a lithium-ion battery pack mounted under the first-row seats.

Honda says it has developed a new winding method and other refinements for the drive motor, making it 23 percent smaller than previous versions.

The Honda i-MMD system also eliminates the need for a conventional transmission.

Instead, it uses one electric motor as a generator to harness power from the gasoline engine, which only drives the wheels directly under very specific circumstances.

Honda Odyssey Hybrid (Japanese model)

While there is no chance of Honda offering the Japanese-market Odyssey Hybrid in the U.S., it would be interesting if the company offered some form of hybrid minivan here.

If nothing else, a minivan with the two-motor hybrid system would be a good rival for the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica plug-in hybrid.

Even if it doesn't get used in another vehicle, we'll still see an updated version of the i-MMD system when the Accord Hybrid returns for the 2017 model year.

Back in 2014, Green Car Reports named the Accord Hybrid our Best Car To Buy, although supplies of the model remained constrained during much of its initial tenure here.

If that's an issue Honda can fix, expanding use of the i-MMD hybrid system to other U.S.-market models may not be out of the question.

Honda Odyssey Hybrid Could Double Minivan’s MPG

A Honda Odyssey Hybrid is being considered by top brass at the Japanese automaker, offering twice as many MPGs as the current crop of family haulers. While there are challenges to building a hybrid minivan, such a vehicle could boast Prius-rivaling fuel economy.

The Toyota Prius V is currently a fan favorite for those seeking a high-MPG minivan-type vehicle, though the Honda Odyssey is among the best-selling minivans in America. While powertrain engineer Takashi Shinichi said such a vehicle isn’t yet under development, it seems like a no brainer to me. But then again, I’m not a vehicle engineer.

Engineers have to worry about problems like the Odyssey’s low-hanging, flat floor, which makes ingress and egress easy but makes hiding a battery bank difficult. For this reason, a plug-in hybrid Honda Odyssey is a non-starter, as you can’t exactly take up space in the minivan’s trunk area either. Families find a way to use every inch of storage space in these vehicles, and Honda knows it. I’m certain this is one of the main reasons no major automaker has given America a hybrid minivan yet.

However, a hybrid Honda minivan could effectively double the Odyssey’s MPG from 22 combined to around 44 combined, and that’s on the U.S. standard. Seem far fetched? Keep in mind that the Toyota Prius V, which was unveiled over three years ago has a combined MPG rating of 42 MPG. Honda has been slowly-but-surely catching up with Toyota in the MPG game, but they haven’t been able to go toe-to-toe with the Prius yet, which is due to get a major redesign soon.

A hybrid minivan could be the winning hand Honda needs to tip the scales in their favor.

Source: CarAdvice.com.au