The brand new 2012 Honda Civic Hybrid will now be using a lithium-ion battery and its fuel economy has increased from 41 mpg to 44 mpg. For vehicles that don’t plug into the electrical grid, the Civic Hybrid has solidified its second-place position with the improvement in fuel economy. This particular improvement in gas economy makes it superior to the Lexus CT 200h. The Civic Hybrid is the most fuel-efficient sedan that you are able to find on the US streets and highways, according to Honda.
Each 2012 Civic Hybrid makes use of the Integrated Motor Assist, which is the fifth generation hybrid powertrain platform that is made up of a thin, pancake like electronic motor/generator. Like the systems employed in Ford and Toyota hybrids, Honda’s system assists the gasoline engine by being integrated between the transmission and engine. The car can be operated by electric power alone, but normally the electric motor assists the gas engine. The car does function briefly on electric power only in certain instances when the Civic Hybrid engine cuts off fuel, but all of the engines parts still move. Similar to other hybrids, the Civic’s engine should turn off when it arrives at a complete stop.
Together with the conversion to lithium-ion batteries, the 2012 Civic Hybrid carries a larger gasoline engine. It is now offering a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine instead of 1.3-liters but the bundled horsepower of gas and electric remain the same. The engine works at lower RPMs because of the larger displacement, which creates a quieter ride by having the electric motor used more frequently. To obtain ideal performance, every aspect of the hybrid system was tweaked, like the increase of the motor output from 15kw to 20kw. To better take care of temperature, it now uses plastic spacers, in addition to using more coils and magnets that are widely spaced. The horsepower with the motor has been increased by three horsepower to 23 horsepower. Even the brand new models could use a honda extended warranty to fill the gaps in the manufacturer’s warranty.
The 20-kw Li-ion battery is actually a big enhancement over the nickel-metal hydride battery that was used in the previous model, providing an extra 5kw of power with 30% less weight. Now that the IMA model features more robust power and the battery is 35% better than before, the Civic Hybrid is able to go all-electric at low speeds. There have been stability problems connected with the battery so the switch to lithium battery should resolve this problem. A continually variable transmission wraps up the IMA process. It performs similar to a 10-speed bicycle having a drive pulley and a driven pulley that are linked with a steel belt. It is kind of similar to a mixture of a manual and geared automatic transmission.
Aided by the advancements made on the 2012 Civic Hybrid in fuel efficiency and upgraded battery, it is now a car to be reckoned with. It really is catching the Prius in efficiency and Honda has long been a favorite for many people.
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