Honda Civic Hybrid

emuman · 03-25-2006, 02:26 PM

How does it run on electric only if it only has a 20 HP IMA system?

john1701a · 03-25-2006, 04:00 PM

That system is one small electric motor bonded directly to a gas engine, using a single shaft which requires both components to always rotate at the same RPM. That lack of independent operation limits what's possible. The system doesn't have a second motor either, which further limits abilities... like recharging the battery-pack even when motor power for the wheels is needed.

In other words, that "electric only" operation is brief and only occurs on spans of road that require little power to sustain the current speed. That makes crawling through stop & slow traffic is pretty unrealistic, unlike Prius which thrives in those conditions.

03-25-2006, 04:00 PM	#2
john1701a Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Minnesota Posts: 3,375 My Car: 2010 Prius Model: IV Package: Solar Roof Thanks: 9 Thanked 145 Times in 70 Posts Friends: 12	That system is one small electric motor bonded directly to a gas engine, using a single shaft which requires both components to always rotate at the same RPM. That lack of independent operation limits what's possible. The system doesn't have a second motor either, which further limits abilities... like recharging the battery-pack even when motor power for the wheels is needed. In other words, that "electric only" operation is brief and only occurs on spans of road that require little power to sustain the current speed. That makes crawling through stop & slow traffic is pretty unrealistic, unlike Prius which thrives in those conditions. __________________ JOHN http://john1701a.com 52.5 MPG average @ 10,362 miles

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03-25-2006, 02:26 PM	#1
emuman Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 17 My Car: Model: Package: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	How does it run on electric only if it only has a 20 HP IMA system?