Believe it or not, the 2017 Honda Accord Hybrid sedan actually has something in common with an ultra-exotic hypercar produced by the Swedish brand Koenigsegg.
That seems far fetched, and no we're not referring to the fact that both vehicles utilize four wheels wrapped in rubber tires. The similarity is related to the fact that both the Accord and the Koenigsegg Regera make use of a hybrid system that allows the engine to directly drive the driven wheels without going through a transmission.
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Our friend Jason Fenske from Engineering Explained is here to get into the nitty gritty of how Honda's hybrid system works.
The latest Honda Accord Hybrid can operate in three different driving modes. When there's sufficient charge in the battery system, the car will operate on electric power alone, provided not much power is needed. When the battery pack is depleted, the engine kicks in to act as a generator to charge the battery pack and also power the electric motor. Finally, when highway cruising speed is reached, the engine can directly provide power to the driven wheels while also recharging the battery.
It's a pretty trick system, and Jason draws up a schematic for us to follow the power flow from one component to the other in the various modes. He has a great grasp on the engineering side of this whole thing, so hit play and listen to him in the video above.
