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Recharge Wrap-up: Honda Grace hybrid goes on sale in Japan, Daimler spends 100M euros on batteries

The Mercedes-Benz S-500 Plug-In Hybrid has earned an Environmental Certificate from the TUV Sud technical inspection authority. The award is based on a lifecycle assessment of the vehicle. This includes the ability to reduce CO2 emissions by 43 percent through charging, and by 56 percent if charged using hydroelectricity. Read more in the press release below. Daimler is expanding its production capacity for lithium-ion batteries. The company is investing around 100 million euros in its subsidiary Deutsche ACCUmotive, who will provide batteries for the electric Smart Fortwo and Forfour, as well as various Mercedes-Benz models. By the end of the construction, Deutsche ACCUmotive will have quadrupled production and logistics space since 2011. Read more in the press release below. Honda has begun sales of its Grace hybrid sedan in Japan. The Grace is based on the Honda Fit and uses the automaker's Sport Hybrid i-DCD system. It comes in front- and four-wheel-drive versions and uses a seven-speed DCT with built-in motor. The Honda Grace starts at the equivalent of about $16,500. Read more in the press release below. Honda has begun operation of its wind farm in Brazil. The farm consists of nine wind turbines, expected to produce about 95,000 MWh of electricity per year, which is on par with Honda's consumption for automobile production in the country. Honda is aiming to cut its CO2 production by 30 percent by 2020 compared to 2000 levels. Read more in the press release below. Toyota has won the 2014 World Endurance Championship's Driver and Manufacturer categories with hybrid technology. Toyota celebrated the win after the final race in Sao Paolo, Brazil. Toyota uses the same hybrid technology in its racing cars as it does in its production vehicles. Read more in the press release below. Controlled Power Technologies and other groups are calling for an international 48-volt electrical standard for vehicles. The groups called for the standard at the International Conference Automotive 48 V Power Supply Systems, saying that the 48V standard for mild hybrids would help make the systems more affordable. This will make it easier for automakers to meet the more stringent CO2 standards anticipated in coming years along with the introduction of the World Light vehicles Test Procedures. Read more at Green Car Congress. The world's first certified three-litre luxury saloon: S 500 PLUG-IN HYBRID receives Environmental Certificate Stuttgart.

Honda recalls nearly 350k Odyssey minivans over unintended braking

A problem reported with the Vehicle Safety Assist System has prompted Honda and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to issue a recall for Odyssey minivans from the 2007 and 2008 model years.
The issue revolves around a combination of parts and software that have been reported to cause the vehicle to brake hard and unexpectedly, without illuminating the brake lights. Imagine driving behind one of these vehicles when the malfunction occurs and you can easily understand how an unexpected rear-end collision could ensue.
Unfortunately, Honda won't be able to fix the problem until next spring, at which point the manufacturer will call in the 344,187 units affected into their local dealership for a fix. In the meantime, Honda will instruct owners on how to avoid the situation. For further details, see the full recall notice below.

Honda: 2/3rds of our vehicles will be plug-in or hydrogen by 2030

Honda has a new and expanded vision for its plug-in electric vehicles, including more plug-in lawn mowers and construction machines. While things like the Miimo are cool, we'll admit that we're more into the heavy emphasis that Honda CEO Takahiro Hachigo just put on pure electric, plug-in hybrid, and fuel cell vehicles. In fact, Hachigo is so confident in these electric options that he said that Honda expects fully two-thirds of its vehicles will fit into one of those three categories by 2030. "We will make a plug-in hybrid type available for our major models" - Takahiro Hachigo Speaking at an annual speech in Japan, Hachigo talked about an electric version of the popular Honda Cub motorcycle, the EV-CUB. This electric two-wheeler could come to Japan in about two year and then to various countries in Southeast Asia. As for four-wheelers, the way that Hachigo sees electrification working is to first emphasize plug-in hybrids as the core of the brand's electrification efforts. Specifically, he said that, "we will make a plug-in hybrid type available for our major models and increase the number of models sequentially." The end result, he said, is that, "we will strive to make two-thirds of our overall unit sales from plug-in hybrid/hybrid vehicles and zero-emissions vehicles such as, FCVs and battery EVs by around 2030." The company's next hydrogen vehicle is the Clarity, which goes on sale in Japan in March. It's next-gen EV and PHEV should arrive in or around 2018. You can watch the speech in the video above. The electrification roadmap starts at around minute 32. The only other traditional automaker that is willing to put a big number on its upcoming electric vehicle sales is Audi, which said at the LA Auto Show last year that between 20 and 25 percent of its new vehicles sold will have a plug by 2025. If Audi wants to catch Honda's aggressive claims, it'll need to work hard in the five years after 2025. Related Video: