2014 Honda Accord Plug-In Hybrid To Offer Adaptive Cruise Control

Adaptive cruise control is one of the coolest new safety technologies in the automotive industry. It works just like regular cruise control, except by using radar in the front end of the vehicle, it detects when you’ve reached an unsafe following distance and automatically adjusts your speed to create a safer gap between you and the vehicle in front of you.


This technology will be made available in the 2014 Honda Accord Plug-In Hybrid, which also has an Eco mode to maximize fuel efficiency. We’ve had some questions about how adaptive cruise control and Eco mode work together, particularly as they pertain to adaptive cruise control adjusting speed not just to increase safe following distances, but to maximize regenerative braking by finding the optimal speed for road conditions. Lemon Grove Honda drivers have been curious to know if this would extend the range of the electric vehicle.

The short answer to that question: not really. Whether in Eco mode or Normal mode, the adaptive cruise control does the same things in the context of regenerative braking. Eco mode does help with efficiency, though, as it accelerates a little more gently and devotes less energy to certain power features like air conditioning. Eco mode in general can extend range, but the adaptive cruise control doesn’t necessarily add to that.

So does that make adaptive cruise control any less awesome? Come on, let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. This is still a fantastic technology and one that Accord PHEV owners are going to love. There are many other reasons for this, obviously, but modern upgrades like these are certainly among them.