KevinL
Flashlight Enthusiast
No, not here to discuss the merits of EVs or other competing products. I was just wondering about this specific platform's implementation of its electrical system. Discussion of EV's should be saved for the other thread that already exists for that purpose
I had a chance to peek under the hood of a Civic Hybrid yesterday, the one that's built on the 8th-gen Civic platform (and 2nd-gen hybrid technology according to them). One of the things I noticed is that it STILL has that antiquated 12V SLA starter battery under the hood. The first thought that struck me was "Why do they need THAT??! Doesn't the NiMH pack supply enough cranking amps?"
Which leads me to ask, at low speeds - isn't the takeoff powered by the IMA motor, which should not need a 12V battery? Well.. not when you have 144 NiMH cells powering it..
Then as the vehicle comes up to speed, the ICE should already be rotating and all it needs is a dose of fuel and air with a spark to start the combustion cycle. Of course, this is based on my understanding that the IMA is integrated as part of the main engine and spins up the main engine as well. Do correct me if I'm wrong.
So to begin with, if my interpretation is correct, the Hybrid doesn't even 'crank' the way a normal vehicle does?
And the other question - what is the purpose of the 12V SLA on this platform? I was hoping to get rid of that miserable piece of problems that fails every 12-18 months in my weather. Having a vehicle powered entirely off NiMH is a step in the right direction, IMO. Unless the 12V SLA is meant for powering the rest of the electrical systems (lighting, audio, electronics).
I had a chance to peek under the hood of a Civic Hybrid yesterday, the one that's built on the 8th-gen Civic platform (and 2nd-gen hybrid technology according to them). One of the things I noticed is that it STILL has that antiquated 12V SLA starter battery under the hood. The first thought that struck me was "Why do they need THAT??! Doesn't the NiMH pack supply enough cranking amps?"
Which leads me to ask, at low speeds - isn't the takeoff powered by the IMA motor, which should not need a 12V battery? Well.. not when you have 144 NiMH cells powering it..
Then as the vehicle comes up to speed, the ICE should already be rotating and all it needs is a dose of fuel and air with a spark to start the combustion cycle. Of course, this is based on my understanding that the IMA is integrated as part of the main engine and spins up the main engine as well. Do correct me if I'm wrong.
So to begin with, if my interpretation is correct, the Hybrid doesn't even 'crank' the way a normal vehicle does?
And the other question - what is the purpose of the 12V SLA on this platform? I was hoping to get rid of that miserable piece of problems that fails every 12-18 months in my weather. Having a vehicle powered entirely off NiMH is a step in the right direction, IMO. Unless the 12V SLA is meant for powering the rest of the electrical systems (lighting, audio, electronics).