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The 2012 Honda Civic Hybrid Has Significantly Improved Over Last Year’s Design

The 2012 Honda Civic Hybrid has improved its fuel economy from 41 mpg to 44 mpg and is now using a lithium-ion battery for performance. The Civic Hybrid is today in second-place for gas economy for cars that continue to rely on fossil fuels. This particular improvement in energy economy makes it superior to the Lexus CT 200h. It really is considered the most fuel-efficient four door on the market today.

The Integrated Motor Assist happens to be the fifth generation hybrid powertrain structure that the 2012 Civic Hybrid uses, which is thin, pancake like electronic motor/generator. It solely assists the gasoline engine by staying 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. For certain situations, the Honda can run on electrical power only but all of the engine parts still move. As soon as the car halts, the engine shuts off just like other hybrids.

Along with the switch to lithium-ion batteries, the 2012 Civic Hybrid also features a more substantial gasoline engine than before. The 1.3-liter engine has been increased to a 1.5-liter four-cylinder, though the combined horsepower of the electric and gas is actually unchanged. The engine operates at diminished RPMs because of the larger displacement, which creates a quieter ride by having the electric motor used more frequently. Every aspect of the hybrid solution was improved, like the increase of the motor output from 15kw to 20kw. Heat range is managed more efficiently by using plastic spacers and equally spaced coils and magnets. The motor has increased to a sensible 23 horsepower, which is up from 20 horsepower.

The 20-kw Li-ion battery is definitely a major improvement over the nickel-metal hydride battery that was used in the previous model, providing an extra 5kw of power with 30% less weight. Together with the battery’s 35% improvement in efficiency and the IMA system’s greater power, the Civic Hybrid now has the capability of using only electric motor power more often, in certain times of cruising at low speeds. The automobile has several complaints due to battery failures, so the upgrade to the lithium battery should fix that problem. Yet another development in the IMA set up is the continuously variable transmission. It operates a lot like a 10-speed bicycle having a drive pulley and a driven pulley that are linked with a steel belt. It is a mix of a manual transmission together with a conventional geared automatic transmission.

The 2012 Civic Hybrid has certainly won its place among the best hybrid cars with its upgraded battery and improved fuel efficiency. This kind of enhancement has definitely made Prius look over its shoulder.

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This entry was posted by George Trunyan on Friday, January 6th, 2012 at 4:45 pm and is filed under Cars. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.