2024 Author: Eric Donovan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 21:13
The Honda Jazz Hybrid celebrated its world premiere at the Tokyo Motor Show. But the Japanese have more to offer than the electrified small car.
When Honda launches the fourth generation of its variable small car in mid-2020, a strategic offensive will begin in the Honda showrooms at the same time: the Jazz Hybrid, together with the all-electric Honda e, which is also planned for the summer, marks the departure from Combustion engine and the turn towards widespread electrification.
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Honda has a great reputation, but a small range of models and a corresponding market share. In Germany, for example, there are only five series on offer; with a narrow 0.4 percent market share, the Japanese are still behind Jeep and just ahead of Tesla. Across the EU, Honda's registration share has fluctuated between 0.6 and 1.3 percent in the past two years.
Honda e: Technology
This should improve because not only the existing Honda models will be equipped with electric or hybrid drives, but also because the implementation of the revised electrification plan will also include the premiere of six completely new cars. The Jazz Hybrid starts with the Honda e. Both are the first to operate under the new umbrella term "Honda e: Technology". An SUV and another electric car will be added in 2021.
The electrified small car and its mild SUV variant Crosstar take over the technology from the SUV model CR-V Hybrid introduced in Europe in 2019, albeit with a lower output. In contrast to classic full hybrids, the built-in petrol engine in the CR-V only drives the wheels in exceptional cases. Basically, it feeds a generator that does not store the electricity generated in a battery, but instead passes it on directly to the electric motor and thus to the drive train.
In contrast to Toyota's models, for example, Honda's hybrids are not gasoline cars that receive support from an electric motor, but can be viewed as electric vehicles that generate their energy on board, albeit with the help of a gasoline engine. The operating principle corresponds to that of the much more complex fuel cell cars, except that the Honda hybrids do not need the hard-to-find hydrogen, but simply fill up with gasoline.
i-MMD technology
i-MMD (intelligent Multi-Mode Drive) is the name of this Honda technology, which also allows the combined access of gasoline and electric motors to the wheels. Honda wants to expand i-MMD in the next few years more than the plug-in hybrid with its rechargeable batteries at the socket. Honda has this technology ready, but is not offering it in Europe for the time being, partly because management is dissatisfied with the expansion of the charging infrastructure. With the full hybrid, one can react better to customer demand and CO2 regulations, which is particularly important for the European market, according to the Japanese.
This is a great opportunity for a small supplier - with brands like Honda, noticeable growth in electrified models can have a much stronger impact on the overall market share than with VW or Mercedes, for example. Since the major car manufacturers in Europe are also taking huge steps into the electric future, Honda is flanking its product ideas with collaborations that are primarily intended to make recharging electricity more attractive to buyers of all-electric cars. With the Swedish energy group Vattenfall, they want to offer intelligent and flexible electricity tariffs that can adapt electricity costs to current electricity demand in the grid at any time. (SP-X)
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