Quote:
Originally Posted by Ecky
Here's a speed vs MPG chart for the G1:
Honda's IMA has a few advantages over Toyota's system. (1) If the big battery dies for whatever reason, you don't get stuck on the side of the road. Lots of people drive G1's around with the big hybrid battery removed entirely, but it's not fun if you're using a (2) CVT model. I also once had the ground on my engine kill switch fail, which cut power to my injectors. I was only a few miles home, so I mashed the pedal to the floor and managed to make it back on electricity alone in my G1.
(3) You can drive around in "EV mode" in Honda's later IMA hybrids, but the IMA is bolted to the engine's crankshaft, so you're still moving the pistons even if they're not firing. The valvetrain closes all of the valves so you're not pumping air though, so engine drag is greatly reduced. |
(1) is completely false in the context given. The instances in which a Prius, or any other Toyota hybrid, is dead on the side of the road due to a failed hybrid battery are
extremely rare. Yes, the Prius is heavily dependent on its HV battery as it's the only way to start the ICE, and it can't be driven "gas-only" like most IMA powered cars, but the alarmist picture is unwarranted. I can say that I am intimately familiar with over 50 Toyota HV battery battery failures, and
not a single one was stuck on the side of the road. For a few with severe battery deterioration rivaling the typical IMA battery failure, they were gutless and in "limp" mode, but they were mobile.
(2) Not sure where you're getting this. The CVT is actually better to drive with a disabled IMA because the CVT allows the engine to operating in a more favorable power band. The bypassed MT are gutless.
(3) Having owned two, it's woefully unimpressive, but it's true. I never noticed how frequently it would actually go into EV mode until the unused O2 sensor plug came out of my aftermarket Magnaflow Cat... WOW!!! 1.3L RWAR! It was easy to tell the difference when the ICE was firing and when it wasn't
Steve