HYBRIDS. THE MIDDLE GROUND. PETROL engine still there for support, but the electric motor is the hero. Unlike a PHEV (or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle), there’s no huge, heavy battery—it’s a light, compact unit—and there’s no plug point, so there’s no time—read that as no long hours—spent charging the car. The engine plays generator and the e-motor drives the car. It’s, as a rival brand pushes for it to be called, a self-charging electric vehicle. Accurate.
So, then, the new City e:HEV, or “e series” Hybrid Electric Vehicle, is the first Honda e series model, with the all-electric Honda e hatchback being the spearhead poster child for the sub-brand of sorts. The new City e:HEV looks like the City i-VTEC and i-DTEC we’re used to seeing. The bestselling sedan from Honda has opened the year with 3,000 cars, give or take, rolling
