Vehicle Components

GASOLINE ENGINE
The main power source of all Honda hybrids is a conventional gasoline engine, located under the hood.

ELECTRIC MOTOR
During start-up and acceleration, an electric motor, located between the engine and the transmission, provides assistance to the engine. During braking and deceleration, the motor acts as a generator, recharging both the high-voltage battery module and the 12-volt battery.

12-VOLT BATTERY
A conventional 12-volt battery, also located under the hood, powers all standard electronics. In Honda hybrids, this battery also provides power to the high-voltage battery control systems. Disconnecting or cutting the negative cables to the battery may be necessary in some emergency situations.

UNDERHOOD FUSE BOX
A fuse box is also located under the hood on the driver's side of the engine compartment. Removing the main fuse from this box may be required in some emergency situations.




HIGH-VOLTAGE BATTERY MODULE

Note
In the 2006 Civic Hybrid, the HV battery now powers the air conditioner compressor as well as the electric motor.

The electric motor is powered by a nickel-metal-hydride (NiMH) battery module. The module contains 120 individual 1.2-volt cells, each about the size of a conventional D-cell battery. The cells are arranged inside the module in groups or sticks.

Since the battery module is recharged by the electric motor whenever the vehicle decelerates, the battery never needs external charging.

Battery module specifications:
Nominal Voltage: 144 volts
Capacity:
Insight 6.5 ampere-hours
Civic and Accord 6.0 ampere-hours




HIGH-VOLTAGE BATTERY BOX
The high-voltage battery module is stored in a sturdy metal box, shown here with the lid removed. The box contains other important components which, together with the battery, make up the Intelligent Power Unit (IPU). All components inside the battery box are completely insulated and isolated from the vehicle body.




For maximum safety, the high-voltage battery box is positioned directly behind the seat-backs where it is well-protected from potential damage in a collision.




HIGH-VOLTAGE CABLES
Electrical energy flows between the high-voltage battery module and the motor through three heavy-duty orange cables.

In the Accord Hybrid, high-voltage cables also deliver current to the air conditioning (AC) compressor. This allows the AC to continue running when the vehicle is in the Auto Idle Stop mode. (Under certain conditions, Auto Idle Stop automatically turns the engine off when the car comes to a stop, at a stop light for example.)




Between the battery box and the engine compartment, the high-voltage cables are routed under the vehicle, inside sturdy orange plastic protective shields. Where the cables lie close to the exhaust system, a metal thermal shield covers, but does not obscure, the orange high-voltage shield.




To improve aerodynamics and fuel-efficiency in the Insight, most of the high-voltage shielding under the vehicle is behind smooth metal paneling. High-voltage alert symbols are stamped into the metal to indicate the cables path.