The 2012 Honda Civic Hybrid Has Vastly Advanced Over Last Year’s Design
For the first time, a 2012 Honda Civic Hybrid is employing a lithium-ion battery, and the EPA fuel economy has been improved from 41 mpg to 44 mpg. The Civic Hybrid is today in second-place for gas economy for cars that continue to rely on fossil fuels. The boost in fuel consumption rate helps make the Civic closer to the Prius and ahead of the Lexus CT 200h. It's thought to be the most fuel-efficient four door on the market today.
The Integrated Motor Assist is the fifth generation hybrid powertrain platform that the 2012 Civic Hybrid uses, which is thin, pancake like electronic motor/generator. It only assists the gasoline engine by remaining integrated between the engine and transmission, making it similar to the hybrid systems from Ford and Toyota. The vehicle can be operated by electric power alone, but normally the electric motor assists the gas engine. The car does run briefly on electric power only in selected instances when the Civic Hybrid engine cuts off fuel, but all of the engines parts still move. When the car stops the engine shuts off, and starts up again if it's time to go, like other hybrid vehicles.
The 2012 Civic Hybrid has a larger gasoline engine, together with the shift to lithium-ion batteries. The 1.3-liter engine has been recently increased to a 1.5-liter four-cylinder, however the combined horsepower of the electric and gas is actually unchanged. The engine works by using the electrical motor more often because the engine runs at a lower RPM due to the larger displacement, which results in a quieter ride. Honda realized ideal efficiency by fine-tuning the hybrid system like improving the motor output from 15kw to 20kw. Plastic spacers and widely spaced coils and magnets help the system to better control the temperature. The motor has been increased three horsepower beyond the previous motor, moving up to 23 horsepower.
The nickel-metal hydride battery has been succeeded by the stronger 20-kw Li-ion battery, which is 5 kw more and 30% lighter. With the battery's 35% improvement in efficiency and the IMA system's greater power, the Civic Hybrid presently has the capability of using only electric motor power more often, in certain times of cruising at low speeds. The car has a lot of complaints because of battery failures, so the upgrade to the lithium battery should fix that problem. A steadily variable transmission completes the IMA system. The transmission features a drive pulley and a driven pulley that are linked with a steel belt which is similar to a 10-speed bicycle. It's a blend between the traditional geared automatic transmission and a manual transmission.
With reliable improvements in fuel-efficiency and battery, the 2012 Civic Hybrid has certainly earned its accolades. This kind of improvement has definitely made Prius look over its shoulder.
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