Honda has come up with an all new 1.5 litres hybrid engine to replace the much publicized Honda Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) system that the Japanese car maker currently uses in its cars like Insight, Jazz and Civic. Christened as the Sport Hybrid i-DCD (Intelligent Dual Clutch Drive), the new motor benefits from an ‘improved’ Atkinson cycle for the gasoline engine and features an electric motor which is coupled to a 7-speed dual clutch transmission.
Honda claims that the highly efficient motor and new lithium-ion battery has resulted in to an overall improvement in efficiency by more than 30% over a typical one-motor hybrid system. The test bed for the new hybrid system is a Honda Jazz that can run on electricity alone up to the speeds of 70 kmph and for distances up to 5 kms.
With depleting fossil fuel resources, ‘hybrid’ has to be the way to go.