I think that HCHII owners tend to populate the intersection of Venn Nerd and Gearhead.

This is a very informative piece. Thanks for putting this together.

As an interesting sidebar, in the quest for a higher efficiency internal combustion engine, there is quite a re-think going on on how an IC engine works. For example, the distributor is a thing of the past for spark distribution. Next up, bye,bye camshafts to open and close the valves. You can expect in the next few years that the intake and exhaust valves will be manipulated by solenoids, giving an infinite number of "grinds" and available as needed. That coupled with electric and electronic drive systems will make a really interesting car.

 

Amazing, but true. The HCH, like the Insight, eliminates the alternator and instead leaves this job to the efficient, solid-state DC-DC converter in the Motor Control Module. It's quite elegant and provides a rock-steady 12V to all vehicle systems (headlights, wipers, climate control, et al.) without loading the engine with a belt-driven device. Actually, the IMA motor is the ultimate alternator in that it provides power to both the drivetrain and IMA battery during acceleration and re-gen, respectively, in a mutually beneficial "give and take" relationship. Conventional alternators, by contrast, "take" significantly more than they "give".

In a conventional vehicle, the alternator must be designed to handle high electrical loads at engine idle speed (very low rpm) and to accomplish this, alternator/generators must be large (i.e. heavy and fuel-robbing). By contrast, at higher rpms when driving, the typical alternator could be downsized by a factor of 4X or more since its output increases with rpm. Similarly, conventional power steering pumps rob engine power even when the assist is not needed (such as driving in a straight line on the freeway.) Those are the compromises of conventional vehicles. Sounds downright primitive, doesn't it?

Indeed, upon inspection, you will see that the HCHII has no alternator or power steering pump to rob FE. The only engine driven accessory is the dual-mode A/C compressor which is designed to run off battery only whenever possible.

 

Perfect.

 

 

Haha. Very true OE

 

Thank-you for the posting, but . . .

Is this a contradiction of the Owner's Manual, which stated that the ABS is run on two circuits, with opposing corner brakes connected? So, if it fails on one of them, say the front-right an rear-left wheels, you will still have ABS braking on the other two wheels, potentially maintaining some forward control.

 

No contradiction. All cars have a dual-diagonal brake circuit for safety as described in the Honda Owner's Manual. However, the term "4-channel ABS" refers to the fact that the ABS system can control each wheel independently to avoid lock-up (this requires four ABS solenoid channels to modulate brake pressure to each wheel). In older generation Hondas, the ABS system was "3-channel" meaning that each front wheel had its own ABS "channel"; however, the two rear wheels were combined into a single, third channel and the rear wheel brake pressure was modulated the same way for both rear wheels during ABS operation.

Bottom line: 4-channel ABS is the best system to ensure optimum control of each wheel during impending lock-up. This is important when the wheels of the car may not all be on the same type of terrain during severe braking, for instance, when someone brakes hard while the left wheels are on pavement and the right wheels are off on a gravel/sand shoulder of the road. Wheel lock-up characteristics will be different depending on the surface under the tires and 4-channel ABS can adjust to the changing conditions under each wheel independently.

Hope that helps.

 

On the CVT version. You cannot exceed redline while in gear. You can floor it and the car will maintain redline without going over.