Question for CVT owners regarding regen

[jerrydelrey]

My Honda Civic Hybrid 2 agressively assist when I start moving. With my Insight (manual) I can easily drive with minimum or no regen.

I read in this forum the CVT Insight's Hybrid Batteries last longer. Which leads me to question how does the regen / assist behave with your CVT insight.

I can easily mimic the agressive regen in my HCH2.

I realise that the assist / regen behavior may not be the reason CVT batteries last longer. If you believe so, feel free to say what you think the reason your CVT batteries last longer.

Thanks Happy Thanksgiving.

[Need4Speed]

When I got my cvt two months ago it had the original battery and computer modules. Under normal driving, keeping up with traffic, it typically used about three bars of asssist, sometimes no assist. The battery was replaced a week after I got the car, and with the new computer modules it takes a lot of effort to NOT use any assist. It always seems to be using 4 bars of assist, and I typically out accelerate traffic without trying. With the original battery I could use at least one third of the battery, with the new battery and modules it rarely gets three bars from full. The car actually seems to get better mileage by using more assist, gets you to crusing quicker with less throttle.

[jerrydelrey]

How many miles did it have when the battery was replaced?

[Need4Speed]

My battery was replaced at about 19600 miles, about a month ago.

[E27006]

A single 10 mile drive running with Peters OBDII gauge on a CVT as opposed to my usual manual car, I too reached the conclusion that CVT cars are more aggressive in background charging of the pack, I am refering to the intermittent "flash" or "ghost" charge of about 5 or 6 amp during driving (not regenerative braking).

I am calling it the ghost charge as you are not aware it is happening as the IMA gauges do not show it.

Of this ghost charge effect, it might last for about 30 seconds or a minute, and it seems to want to terminate if you accelerate or brake. for the CVT car I noticed the charging would be far more frequent, by a factor of about 3 , and the charge current higher, 8 to 10 amps against 4 to 6 amps of the manual

[jerrydelrey]

Need4Speed: 19,000 miles that's very low. I'm guessing your battery sat for a long time, which is why it needed to be replaced already.

E27006: Were both your cars modules upgraded?

Thank you both, for the info.

[E27006]

The M/T car is year of manufacture 2000, original ECM/BCM/MCM.

The CVT, not owned by me, a Japanese home market car, also 2000, imported to UK, therefore cannot quote the status of those modules

[jerrydelrey]

Okay thanks.

I wonder if the upgraded modules are programmed the same in both the CVT and manual.

[E27006]

It might be a good move if that is in the case, both types giving more frequent flash charges into the pack.
Some one who had owned CVT and manual cars expressed his opinion that with a weak pack it is harder to make the CVT negative recal for Sof C, compared to M/T.

He said that CVT cars try far harder to keep the pack level up, I assume that is why I saw the more frequent higher amperage ghost charge.

I have purchased a low cost pocket camcorder, would like to try and capture the event by recording the OBDII screen during a drive.

Get ready Youtube!

[dirty hippie]

My battery is a bit over a year old. I was told that my BCM or some sort of module(s) was "flashed" rather than replaced. I got the new battery right when I bought my car, so I can't compare how my car behaved with an older battery. I tend to concur that on my CVT assist always shows up when moving from a stop. No way around it. However, once I'm in cruising mode, I can go for miles without using assist unless I mash it to pass a car or something like that. I tend to leave cars behind when the light turns green at intersections, and I'm not racing! Some people have attributed that to the added torque of the IMA. My SOC is usually full or near full, which is usually 1-4 bars shy of full.