Scottsman skeptic meets Honda Civic Hybrid
#1
11-02-2007, 05:42 AM
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Huntsville, AL
Posts: 5,613
Scottsman skeptic meets Honda Civic Hybrid
http://business.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1746302007
I throughly enjoyed the impressions of a hybrid skeptic meeting a Honda Civic Hybrid. I suspect someone in his office made him do it. In addition to ignorance about "the motor in the back," he claimed a need to brag about his car being a hybrid as if that were the only point of the vehicle. His hubris was further revealed by not figuring out how to back off on the accelerator to get lower rpm.
Hybrid efficiency is also about the space between the ears. Many of us see opportunity in following a slow vehicle rather than "When you put your foot down to overtake, say a caravan on the A9, the Honda Civic does respond well by changing down to a low gear, . . ." The performance characteristics of gas-only vehicles do not reward efficient driving practices including turning off the engine when it is not needed. So we have generations of drivers who have difficulty adapting to hybrid control laws that save fuel. But our hybrids are by no means perfection.
This article suggests the HCH control laws might need to be more aggressive about reducing engine rpms. Certainly my Prius has a number of control laws that I'm actively working to mitigate. IMHO, our hybrids would be well served with a "Easy" button to select high efficiency versus 'ordinary' control laws. I understand the TCH has a selector between efficiency and performance.
For me, the article revealed the hubris of a writer whose ignorance and disinterest in efficient driving led to mediocre performance. Given a finely machined screw, he simply hammered into place like a nail. But there are clues about the need for further tuning the hybrid control laws so even a stubborn Scottsman (my family has Scottish/Welsh background) will revert to the thrifty ways they are so well known for.
Bob Wilson
ps. I've long admired the high-end, Lexus hybrids but this article finally brings the reason why into focus:
The executives of large car companies are not about to give up a quality ride, like a Lexus, while giving the illusion of hypocrisy of not using the same technology they make for down-scale hybrids. A hybrid Lexus lets CEOs and political leaders stand behind their commitment to fuel efficiency by using the same hybrid technology they encourage in public policy.
THEY used to say that a Rolls-Royce was so quiet that the only thing you could hear when it was running was the ticking of the dashboard clock.
Well, Honda has gone one better. The only thing you can hear when you are sitting at the traffic lights in your Hybrid Civic is the sound of smugness - and that is very quiet indeed.
That is because the petrol engine cuts out every time you slow down going into a junction or a queue of traffic. The electric motor at the back then kicks in, leaving the driver sitting in perfect, environmentally friendly silence.
. . .
It is a little unnerving for your engine to cut out as you drift towards a queue of traffic. I had a 17-year-old VW Golf which used to do that, but that had nothing to do with an electric motor and everything to do with a dodgy engine. This time it was different, and it actually started to feel natural after the first dozen or so cut-outs.
. . .
What I can't understand, however, is how the car manages to start the petrol engine so many times without putting unnecessary strain on the engine or burning up all the petrol it has saved sitting on electric power.
. . .
It's all very well gliding silently into the conference car-park and finding a gap between the cars festooned with Saltire car stickers, but it's not much use if you can't shout about your environmental credentials.
. . .
Well, Honda has gone one better. The only thing you can hear when you are sitting at the traffic lights in your Hybrid Civic is the sound of smugness - and that is very quiet indeed.
That is because the petrol engine cuts out every time you slow down going into a junction or a queue of traffic. The electric motor at the back then kicks in, leaving the driver sitting in perfect, environmentally friendly silence.
. . .
It is a little unnerving for your engine to cut out as you drift towards a queue of traffic. I had a 17-year-old VW Golf which used to do that, but that had nothing to do with an electric motor and everything to do with a dodgy engine. This time it was different, and it actually started to feel natural after the first dozen or so cut-outs.
. . .
What I can't understand, however, is how the car manages to start the petrol engine so many times without putting unnecessary strain on the engine or burning up all the petrol it has saved sitting on electric power.
. . .
It's all very well gliding silently into the conference car-park and finding a gap between the cars festooned with Saltire car stickers, but it's not much use if you can't shout about your environmental credentials.
. . .
Hybrid efficiency is also about the space between the ears. Many of us see opportunity in following a slow vehicle rather than "When you put your foot down to overtake, say a caravan on the A9, the Honda Civic does respond well by changing down to a low gear, . . ." The performance characteristics of gas-only vehicles do not reward efficient driving practices including turning off the engine when it is not needed. So we have generations of drivers who have difficulty adapting to hybrid control laws that save fuel. But our hybrids are by no means perfection.
This article suggests the HCH control laws might need to be more aggressive about reducing engine rpms. Certainly my Prius has a number of control laws that I'm actively working to mitigate. IMHO, our hybrids would be well served with a "Easy" button to select high efficiency versus 'ordinary' control laws. I understand the TCH has a selector between efficiency and performance.
For me, the article revealed the hubris of a writer whose ignorance and disinterest in efficient driving led to mediocre performance. Given a finely machined screw, he simply hammered into place like a nail. But there are clues about the need for further tuning the hybrid control laws so even a stubborn Scottsman (my family has Scottish/Welsh background) will revert to the thrifty ways they are so well known for.
Bob Wilson
ps. I've long admired the high-end, Lexus hybrids but this article finally brings the reason why into focus:
. . .
One of Alex Salmond's first moves as First Minister was to replace his usual first ministerial car with a hybrid Lexus. That was a statement of his determination to lead a greener government.
. . .
One of Alex Salmond's first moves as First Minister was to replace his usual first ministerial car with a hybrid Lexus. That was a statement of his determination to lead a greener government.
. . .
Last edited by bwilson4web; 11-02-2007 at 05:50 AM.
Thread
Topic Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Girlygeeek
Off Topic
0
01-01-2006 11:57 AM
