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Honda Civic Hybrid Cars
by Scott Harker
With the advent of the Honda, the environmentally friendly aspect of the hybrid car has suddenly become much
The triangular turn signals cut quite a dash and are well integrated into the wing mirrors. The door pillars slant backwards adding to the stylish impression. This all leads to the fact that these fuel efficient hybrid cars are not designed primarily for the tree huggers niche, but are for a young trendy market. Those keen not only to help reduce emissions but also to get heads turning and to cut a swath through the more mundane motoring choices.
There are, as well, the usual variety of trim levels available. Plus there are more interesting options like curtain airbags and an energy absorbing hood to lessen the levels of impact during a road accident.
The new Honda Civic, hybrid car uses a small 1.3 liter, 4 cylinder engine as its main power supply. The engine employs a very clever use of technology. It can effectively cut out cylinders that are not required, such as when the engine is using a minimal amount of power for low speed cruising. Another boost to engine efficiency are the light aluminum pistons. This smart combination with the low drag cylinders give a good power saving.
The hybrid car's engine is assisted by an electric motor that is rated to 20 horsepower. The new hybrid car electric motor is roughly 50% more powerful than ones used in previous versions. The battery pack is also increased in both size and power. It now supplies 158v, adding considerably to the available horsepower. The combined available horsepower from both the hybrid cars electric and gas engines is 110-horse power. This is very respectable for such a lightweight car and means it is well able to maintain its place both at traffic lights (it will do 0-60 mph in 10 seconds) and on the highway.
The Honda along with most other hybrid cars uses a braking system that allows the electric motor to be run backwards to assist with braking. This also means that the motor is generating power for the batteries. The latest Civic model has had improvements to this system that allows it to recoup more 150% more energy than was possible with former versions. This all ads up to better fuel economy.
With all these innovations, the latest version of the Honda civic hybrid car should return a figure of around 50 mpg for both town and highway driving!
Although there maybe cars that can give a greater economy, the new Civic is well worth considering. The stylish looks, excellent performance and very low emissions make this one of the most advanced hybrid cars on the market. It maybe a while before the other car manufacturers match this. Of course, with higher gas prices and concerns over global warming, the market for hybrid cars is becoming ever more competitive. This should mean that more hybrid models that are faster, more efficient and stylish are on the way. But for today, check out the Honda Civic hybrid car.