What will a new battery mean for the Honda Civic Hybrid?

No more IMA lights?

Despite its more mild hybrid tendencies I’ve mostly been a fan of Honda’s hybrid cars. However, a number of battery-related problems in recent years have made me question Honda’s commitment to hybrids.

But, now that lithium will replace the sometimes shoddy NiMH battery packs in the upcoming 2012 Civic hybrid, it might be time to forgive and forget.

OK. For those now suffering or having suffered through Honda’s hybrid problems, there might never be forgiveness. Honda’s handling of some of the problems facing early Honda hybrid supporters has been appalling. Period.

Thinking forward, however, Honda is an important automaker and their hybrid vehicles have great meaning in the fuel economy debate. Consequently, some 2012 Honda Civic hybrid spyshots on InsideLine set up an obvious question: How much more fuel efficient will the new lithium-powered Civic hybrid be?

The spyshots show the new Civic hybrid being tested along with the Toyota Prius and the Honda Insight. Thus, its impossible not to wonder how close the new Civic hybrid will come to matching the fuel economy numbers of the Prius.

Without a larger battery pack, catching up to the Prius seems impossible. However, adding a larger battery pack, especially one made of lithium, also increases costs. Of course, no automaker made the kind of NiMH investment that did Toyota. So, maybe the cost difference between lithium and NiMH isn’t as extreme for Honda.

Anyway, greatly looking forward to the final Civic hybrid fuel economy numbers.

Source;
http://www.favstocks.com/what-will-a-new-battery-mean-for-the-honda-civic-hybrid/1831444/

Honda Uses Toshiba Lithium-Ion Batteries in Test Version of Electric Car

In China first....
Honda Motor Company is using lithium-ion batteries made by Toshiba Corp. in a test version of its electric car, expanding upon a supply agreement for electric scooters.

Honda’s joint venture with Kyoto-based GS Yuasa Corp. will supply lithium-ion batteries for its hybrid cars, including a plug-in vehicle, while Toshiba’s packs may be more suitable for all-electric cars, which require more power, Tomohiko Kawanabe, head of Honda’s research and development division, told reporters today in Saitama prefecture, north of Tokyo.

Japan’s second-largest carmaker unveiled the test versions of its electric car and plug-in hybrid today, joining Toyota Motor Corp. and Nissan Motor Co. in efforts to meet tighter government emissions rules. Honda has supply agreements with four battery makers, including Panasonic Corp. and its subsidiary Sanyo Electric Co., which make nickel-metal hydride packs for Honda’s current hybrid cars.

Honda’s electric car can go more than 160 kilometers (100 miles) on a single charge, farther than Nissan’s Leaf electric car, Tokyo-based Honda said today. The plug-in hybrid can run 25 kilometers on battery power before the gasoline engine kicks in, about the same as Toyota’s plug-in. The figures are based on Japanese highway testing methods.

Honda rose 1.6 percent to 3,285 yen as of 2:29 p.m. in Tokyo trading, extending its gain this year to 5.6 percent.

Nissan’s Leaf

The carmaker hasn’t decided whether it will use Toshiba’s batteries for mass production, Kawanabe said. Toshiba already makes lithium-ion batteries for Honda’s EV-neo electric scooter, which it started leasing to corporate customers this month.

The company is also seeking to sell batteries made by Blue Energy Co., the venture with GS Yuasa, to other carmakers to help lower costs, he said.

Nissan, Japan’s third-largest automaker, starts selling its lithium-ion battery-powered Leaf hatchback this month in Japan and the U.S. and will begin selling it in Europe next year. Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn has estimated that electric cars may account for 10 percent of global auto sales by 2020.

Toyota plans to sell a short-distance pure electric car and a plug-in hybrid by 2012.

2012 Honda Civic hybrid switching to lithium

But can it really top the Prius in the city?

At one time Honda and hybrid cars fit well into the same sentence. Not these days. Whether its Civic hybrid owners fuming over IMA issues, automotive critics slamming Insight hybrid execution, or the purpose of a two-seat hybrid sports car that barely feels sporty at all, Honda hybrids aren’t really hot.

But Honda hopes to change that with the lithium-powered 2012 Civic hybrid.

Unfortunately, it’s hard to believe that Honda has found a cure to its hybrid woes.

Sure, the new Civic Hybrid upgrades its 1.3 liter engine to 1.5 liters while mating it to a new lithium-ion battery pack that is said to improve EV range from nothing to at least a little. Still, lithium is found in other hybrid powertrains – both full and mild – and simply coupling a lithium-ion battery pack with Honda’s IMA does not seem enough to challenge Prius fuel economy, particularly city fuel economy.

Of course, maybe Honda isn’t just switching to lithium, but also increasing the capacity of its battery pack. More important, maybe Honda has figured out how to somehow morph the IMA powertrain into a full hybrid powertrain.

At this time the details are still sketchy, and hopefully we learn a bit more at tomorrow’s LA Auto Show. Nevertheless, we’ve heard of Honda’s Prius-conquering plans in the past, and they’ve always fallen short. Ultimately, if this is just lithium instead of NiMH, Toyota has little to fear from the new Civic hybrid.

Source;
http://www.favstocks.com/2012-honda-civic-hybrid-switching-to-lithium/1628130/