Honda-san: I have worked on Outlander for almost 12 years. It has been my life for almost 12 years. Mi: My thought is, the Outlander is very much a vehicle for you -- for you personally, as someone who loves the outdoors, but works in the city. And not just climbing and camping, but cycling in remote areas, too. Honda-san: When I came back to Japan after a five- year assignment in Normal, Illinois, one of the first things I did was to borrow our i-MiEV electric vehicle. I wanted to go to a mountain area, but the driving range limitation prevented me from doing that. The i-MiEV was something of an experimental vehicle, testing what the market -- what customers -- would want and need. We also learned about battery management and charging. So, when I got the assignment for the Outlander PHEV, one of my first thoughts was to make sure this EV could drive to nature. Mi: And the result of those learnings is right here, in the Outlander PHEV? Honda-san: Yes, the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle.
Mi: One of the things most interesting about the Outlander PHEV is that your concept for a plug-in hy‑ brid is this: to start as a battery electric vehicle like the i-MiEV, and then add the gasoline motor. This is dif‑ ferent than some of your competitors, who start with a gasoline vehicle and then add a battery component. Honda-san: I would like the customer to drive the Outlander PHEV as if it were a pure battery-electric vehicle. It is, but with a gasoline engine to generate electricity to charge the battery. So, our concept is quite different from others. The idea is to create an electric vehicle that has no range anxiety. Our customer can use this vehicle as an EV, but it is a hybrid vehicle for the weekend ranger. As I said, no range anxiety. And, of course, the customer can enjoy EV driving -- smooth and quick and quiet. With gas ‑ oline prices high, a bonus is that it is energy efficient. Electricity is much cheaper than gasoline. Mi: Efficient, of course. Yet, you were determined to build a vehicle that is safe, and capable in bad weath‑ er and on rough terrain – and entertaining to drive, as well. That’s a lot. Honda-san: Yes, Super All-Wheel Control, or S-AWC, is our technology, which, in fact, is the product of not
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