Electrification Archives

Honda Civic RS Sedan With e:HEV Hybrid Technology Officially Launched, Priced From RM166,500 (w/VIDEO)

It’s been a busy year for Honda Malaysia, having started with the launch of the new Honda Civic and then the HR-V, two popular models that presently have long waiting lists. And to end the year, the company has launched an additional variant for the Civic in the form of the Civic e:HEV Hybrid today.

This is no surprise, of course, as it was already announced a month ago and Honda Malaysia even allowed us to get the first drive impressions at the Sepang circuit. We were able to show you what the car looks like and the only things that were not known then were the interior (under embargo) and of greater interest to the public, the price.

So first off, here’s the price: RM166,500 (without insurance) for the single RS version and this is around RM15,800 more than the Civic RS with just a 1.5-litre turbocharged engine. So, by virtue of its price, the Civic e:HEV would be the flagship of the range which includes the 1.5V and 1.5E versions. Malaysia is one of only three countries in the world to have the e:HEV version of the Civic Sedan, the others being Thailand and China.

(more…)

11th Generation Honda Accord Revealed In America, More Emphasis On Hybrids

The Honda Accord is of special significance in the American market, being not only the brand’s first model manufactured there in 1982 but also the first foreign model to become the bestselling car in America in 1989. Since then, it has been among the top sellers in the country which used to be the largest car market in the world before China displaced it.

With its success and popularity over 5 decades, it’s not surprising that the 11^th generation also makes its debut in America, as has been the tradition for some time. With this new generation. Honda is furthering its electrification strategy and expects the hybrid versions of the new Accord to account for at least 50% of sales of the model.

(more…)

Rolls-Royce Spectre Revealed!

In 1900, Rolls-Royce co-founder, Charles Rolls, experienced an electrically-powered car. Even back then, there were cars that were running on electricity but the technology then made them impractical and inconvenient. Nevertheless, Rolls understood the potential of such cars as clean, noiseless transport and foresaw a time when they would be popular again – with the appropriate supporting infrastructure (ie charging stations).

Today, more than 120 years later, that time has come and Rolls-Royce fulfils the prophecy of its founding father with the presentation of the Spectre. This totally new model not only marks a very historic moment for Rolls-Royce but is also a historic moment for electrification: the technology has now reached a standard where it is able to provide the Rolls-Royce experience.

“The advent of our first battery-electric motor car marks the start of a bold new era for Rolls-Royce. It is also the culmination of a long, painstaking process, in which every element in creating this landmark car has been considered in the minutest detail, over numerous iterations. It states the direction for the future of our marque and perfectly answers a call from the most discerning individuals in the world to elevate the electric motor car experience, because Spectre is a Rolls-Royce first and an electric car second,” said Torsten Muller-Otvos, CEO of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, as he unveiled the car today.

(more…)

e:HEV – How Honda’s Hybrid Technology Has Evolved In Over 20 Years

Although Toyota began selling the first mass-produced hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) that have an electric motor working with a petrol engine, Honda also brought HEVs into the market around the same time. In fact, in Malaysia, Honda was the first to actually market HEVs when it offered the Civic Hybrid in 2004, priced at RM118,888. Back then, hybrids were still a novelty rather than something which drew people due to being new technology.

Over the years, Honda Malaysia continued to promote HEVs, offering the technology in some models and then being the first brand to assemble a HEV locally – the Jazz Hybrid – in 2012. Incentives provided by the government during that period were intended to promote HEVs so that more people would buy the environment-friendly cars. In fact, the incentives created the unusual situation whereby a HEV variant cost less than the variants with just petrol engines – in every other market, HEVs would cost more than their conventional engine equivalents due to the additional cost of the technology.

Although sales of HEVs have not been rocketing upwards, they have been steadily increasing and the technology has also matured and is more efficient, while costs have lowered. Since the days of the first Insight, it has been Honda’s aim to find ways to lower the costs of its hybrid technology – which it markets as e:HEV now – so that more people can afford to buy HEVs.

(more…)

First Look At Honda Prologue EV To Go On Sale In 2024 (w/VIDEO)

Honda has revealed the exterior and interior styling of its Prologue battery-electric vehicle (BEV) that will go on sale in North America in 2024. The model, with a SUV bodystyle, is one of the two BEVs which the Japanese carmaker will co-develop with GM.

GM will supply its flexible global BEV platform powered by its proprietary Ultium batteries, and also build the BEVs at its plants in North America. The second model is planned for launch in 2027, by which time the companies will be looking at the start of ‘global production of millions of BEVs.

(more…)

BMW M Joins The Super SUV Crowd With New XM PHEV

When BMW decided to start offering SUVs, it first made sure that the new models would have the driving dynamics that made people buy their ‘ultimate driving machines’. Engineered to be true BMWs, their vehicles are instead called Sport Activity Vehicles or SAVs.

It’s the same for BMW M, the high-performance division, when it made the decision to electrify. For a company like BMW M, which has built up a reputation producing cars with superlative performance, going electric meant that they had also to be able to offer the same kind of performance.

The first BMW M automobile designed for purely electric mobility from the outset was the new iX M60, launched at the beginning of this year. But that was just a start and now the company has come out with another electrified model – the XM.

(more…)

Tata Motors Launches Tiago.Ev Priced Under RM50,000

Back in 2008, Tata Motors introduced what was then the cheapest car in the world – the Nano, which cost around U$S2,200 then. It was intended to enable more people in India, especially families, to travel in a safer 4-wheeler than a 2-wheeler. Unfortunately, despite being cheap, it did not catch on and sales were poor so it was discontinued after 10 years.

Nevertheless, the company’s founder has long wanted to help his countrymen and does so in various ways and Tata Motors has again come up with a low-priced electric car. Tata Motors, having been a pioneer in EVs in India, has used its expertise to produce an EV at a cost low enough to price it from 8.49 lakh (about RM48,000). However, this is an introductory price for the first 10,000 buyers from October 10 when the car – known as the Tiago.ev – goes on sale.

(more…)

DHL Express Takes First Step To Electrify Its Vehicle Fleet in Malaysia

The vehicle fleets of logistics companies travel non-stop delivering goods and as most are powered by internal combustion engines (ICE), they obviously generate a lot of CO₂ (carbon dioxide) which has been identified as the gas causing global warming and climate change. While the leading commercial vehicle manufacturers have done a lot to make engines run cleaner, it’s clear that there needs to be a shift to zero emissions electric powertrains soon.

Understanding that its vehicles contribute large amounts of CO₂ around the world. DHL, the logistics company, has set a goal that by 2030, 60% of its vehicles involved in ‘last-mile’ deliveries (from depot to customer’s location) will be electrified. This is part of its commitment to have sustainable business practices with the ultimate goal of zero emissions logistics by 2050.

(more…)

New Mercedes-AMG C 63 S E Performance No Longer Has A V8

The V8 that has always been the engine most associated with the high-performance brand. It was a 6.8-litre V8 in the AMG 300 SEL, nicknamed ‘The Red Pig’, that powered AMG to fame at the 1971 24 Hours of Spa.

Up till now, the top-selling C63 S has had V8 power with the current version developing up to 503 bhp from its 4-litre engine. But the V8 tradition looks like it’s coming to an end with the new C63 S E Performance that has what some might see as a ‘lowly 4-cylinder powerplant’. And to add to the despair of enthusiasts, the powertrain in this new C 63 S is a plug-in hybrid unit.

(more…)

Peugeot to increase EV range with e-308 and e-308 SW in 2023

Continuing with its electrification drive forward, Peugeot has added battery electric versions of the latest 308 generation to its line-up. To be available in 2023 in Europe in hatchback and stationwagon bodystyles, the e-308 and e-308 SW join the plug-in hybrid versions already available. The e-308 SW is one of the first fully electric stationwagons from a European carmaker.

The new cars have the latest Peugeot design language with the brand’s new badge proudly displayed in the centre of the grille. However, the bonnet is longer, with fang-shaped light signature framing the Matrix LED headlamps and the 3-claw LED lights at the rear to identify the models as part of the Peugeot family.

(more…)

Piston.my