http://news.consumerreports.org/cars/2012/09/getting-a-charge-from-driving-the-2014-honda-accord-plug-in-hybrid.htmlCR previews the plug-in Accord coming sometime next year. The Accord will, together with the Ford Fusion plug-in, be the first of the mainstream sedans to gain plug-in capabilities.
Unlike the Leaf or the Model S, electrics based on lightly modified mainstream vehicles tend to have very compromised packaging, and the Accord is no exception. It sacrifices most of its trunk space to house the 6.7 kWh battery pack. An onboard 6.6 kW charger will charge the battery in under an hour .. ironically giving the battery Accord a faster recharge rate (in terms of miles per hour) than the all-electric Leaf.
Interestingly, like the Volt, the plug-in Accord can either unlink the 2.0L ICE from the wheels and connect it to a generator, or use it to mechanically drive the wheels. This seems like a validation of Brammo's highway range claims - that while a single speed electric drive is flexible enough to work, there are some efficiency losses when you operate the motor outside its most efficient regime.
Not entirely a 1-to-1 comparison - the plug-in hyrid cars are comparing operating the motor in a genset mode, ie electric transmission... ICE -> generator -> motor controller -> motor -> transmission to wheels VS ICE -> transmission to wheels. Decoupling the ICE from the wheels allows (in theory) it to be operated at its most efficient point independent of road speed. Direct drive vs transmission on an electric car is comparing efficiency gains of decoupling road speed from motor speed vs losses in a multi-gear transmission.
