The Honda Civic Hybrid Car

These days getting a car simply goes beyond getting one with consideration for its form and function. Its fuel efficiency is now a major factor when talking about getting a new car, and the Honda Civic Hybrid car stands to be a good option when out “car hunting” for such fuel saving automobiles.

When talking about saving on gas, hybrid cars stand to be the wiser option, as these automobiles are designed with gasoline capacities, as well as alternative sources of power to run on, assisting the gasoline engine itself. The Honda Civic Hybrid car would be a good example of such vehicles, capable of tapping into electric power to save on gasoline consumption, even friendly to the environment, as carbon monoxide emissions are controlled to their most bare minimum levels.

The Honda Civic Hybrid car is basically a hybrid class of the popular Honda Civic sedan type of automobiles. The Honda Civic Hybrid car is basically your “standard” four door compact sedan, but is built with an impressive power utilization feature, which many look for in quality vehicles, which are fuel efficient, allowing savings on gasoline to transpire.

In the 2003 model of the Honda Civic, Honda included a variable transmission and integrated Motor Assist hybrid system, creating the Honda Civic Hybrid sedan, a gasoline efficient vehicle. This would be the first generation of Honda Civic Hybrid cars. It came with 15 kW (20 HP) brushless, permanent magnet assist motor, which is basically functional as an electric generator when the vehicle is decelerating. It basically recharges the Civic Hybrid car’s 120 volt nickel-metal hydride batteries, which has a 6.0 Ah capacity. The 2003 Civic hybrid car also came with electric power steering, as well as a 1.3 L i-DSI lean-burn internal combustion engine, coupled with the VTEC cylinder cut-off system. The VTEC Cylinder cut-off system basically allows up to three cylinders to stop working during deceleration, decreasing the friction losses brought about by engine aspiration, allowing for the more effective of energy regeneration. It also came with low resistance tires and regenerative breaking capabilities.

Among the awards credited to the Civic Hybrid car would be the International Engine of the Year award for three years straight from year 2002 to 2004. The Civic Hybrid car also won the “Best Fuel Economy” award for two years, in 2003 and in 2004. Motor Trend 2006 has awarded the Civic Hybrid car with the “Car of the Year” award, adding to the long standing line of achievements credited to the Honda Civic Hybrid car.