How Does An Integrated Motor Assist Operate?
During its first generation, the IMA (Integrated Motor Assist) could not power the car with only electric power. It is limited to only assisting or starting the car engine. However, the Honda Civic Hybrid 2006 model could activate the electric motor, without turning on the internal combustion engine. The Integrated Motor Assist has a less powerful motor, which lets the car to slow down or stop the rate of deceleration to a minimal extent.
What Is The Integrated Motor Assist?
The Integrated Motor Assist, abbreviated as IMA is Honda’s hybrid car technology introduced back in 1999 on the Honda Insight model. The IMA technology utilizes the electric motor mounted between the internal combustion engine and transmission. It works as a starter motor, engine balancer, and assist traction motor. The IMA is available in both 2nd generation Insight and Jazz Hybrid model as well.
1. How Does The IMA Function – A Detailed Report
The IMA utilized a regenerative braking system to capture the energy lost during the heat generated by deceleration. It reuses the power to accelerate the vehicle. The process leads to three effects namely increased acceleration rate, reduced pressure on the engine, and frequency of brake hardware replacement.
You should understand that acceleration boost is essential. It allows the engine to scale down to fuel-efficient variant without making the vehicle slow or weak. The reason why cars have integrated motor assist is it provides better highway mileage as compared to their counterparts.
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2. How Does The IMA Start The Vehicle?
The vehicles equipped with an IMA system can quickly turn off the engine when the car stops. You can use the electric motor to spin it back when the brake pedal released. These vehicles have a conventional starter for a backup. The starter makes the only hybrid production system that can operate with high voltage disabled electric system.
With the high voltage system disabled, it utilizes only the engine like a traditional vehicle. You should know that IMA also acts as the vehicle’s alternator, typically a 12-volt battery. You can browse online to find the best maintenance tips for your car.
3. What About Low Speed Cruising?
At low speed, the IMA can easily control the electric motor at a rate of 10 and 22mph. The engine slows down as it is controlled by the speed of valves. It reduces the energy for pumping air in and out of each cylinder and allows the motor to regenerate more electricity to charges the battery faster. It is one of the best features of the Honda integrated motor assist.
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Summary
Thus, the IMA although introduced in 1999 on the Honda Insight model, but still plays a vital role. It uses an electric motor and works as a assist traction motor. It is available in both Honda Insight 2nd generation, and Jazz Hybrid car models. When you want to know the functioning of the integrated motor assist inside Honda cars, then make sure to read the information mentioned above.
