Honda Korea 1Q Sales Double Year-on-Year
Hybrid Models Account for Over Half of Sales
Honda Hybrid System Enhances Efficiency with 2 Motors
CR-V Improves Fuel Economy with Low-High Gear Clutch
Honda Korea's sales in the first quarter of this year doubled compared to the same period last year, with half of the sales being hybrid vehicles. Analysts attribute this largely to the increased attention on hybrids as electric vehicle sales have slowed.
On the 18th, Honda Korea held a Hybrid Tech Day event at the Honda Mobility Cafe 'The Go' in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. The Mobility Cafe is a brand experience complex that Honda will open on the 27th. At the event, developers of the Honda Accord and CR-V from the Japanese headquarters attended in person to introduce Honda's hybrid technology.
The most notable feature of Honda's 4th generation hybrid system is that it uses two motors while also utilizing clutches. At low speeds, the vehicle runs in electric mode using the power of the motors. When higher output or battery charging is needed, it switches to hybrid mode, where the engine is running but does not directly turn the tires. Instead, the engine's power charges the battery through a generator motor, and the driving motor turns the wheels.
At high speeds, the clutch engages to drive the wheels using the engine's power. Electric motor driving offers excellent initial acceleration, while the engine is more efficient at high-speed driving. Notably, Honda has installed separate low and high gear clutches for the first time in the brand's CR-V hybrid system.
In sections requiring smooth acceleration, the low gear clutch is engaged, and at high speeds, the high gear clutch is used. Sato Eisuke, the CR-V development manager, said, "We added a new low gear engine drive mode to enable smooth acceleration and expanded the sections driven by the engine to improve fuel efficiency."
Honda's series-parallel switching hybrid system differs from Toyota's series-parallel system and Hyundai's parallel system. Honda explains that it is a system that combines only the advantages of series and parallel types. A particular focus for Honda was reducing engine noise. The biggest challenge was minimizing engine noise as much as possible, whether running solely on electric motors at low speeds or when the engine is engaged at high speeds.
Motohashi Yasuhiro, head of power unit development, said, "We worked to reduce not only the noise from the engine block when switching from electric mode to hybrid mode but also vibration noise. We reinforced the vehicle body with soundproofing materials as well. We enhanced quietness to the extent that it is almost undetectable that the engine is running."
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