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Originally Posted by Kephra
I have seen it happen with my HCHII, but I have to wonder why you would think it is that desireable? Running on battery is less efficient than running on gasoline because the conversion efficiency in converting mechanical energy into electrical and then back to mechanical is way less than just using the mechanical energy of the ice directly. If Honda had programmed the system to run exclusively on battery for long stretches, it would have lowered the fuel economy overall.
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I agree that there's probably no real benefit in deliberately trying to activate the EV mode. However, under certain conditions it may be beneficial. Honda seems to have paid a lot of attention to optimizing the IMA for maximum FE. If they've enabled an EV mode I bet it's because they found it has an overall benefit in those conditions.
Consider a situation where you're coasting downhill or slightly decelerating. You press down on the gas pedal a little because you want to extend your coasting distance. The IMA could give you the requested power in one of two ways. It could restart the gas engine, or it could provide electric assist. Your pressure on the gas pedal indicates that you're only demanding about 10 HP of engine power. That's well within the capacity of the electric motor. Should the gas engine, all 120 HP of it, be started just to give you 10 HP, or is it more efficient to use the electric motor? I bet Honda found that it's more efficient to use the electric motor in that situation, even though you're right that the electric power will ultimately have to be replenished with gasoline energy.