Driving on IMA batteries alone

[gpsman1]

[Mod Insert: This topic was split from its original thread as the discussion morphed. The original thread is here. Please also note MIMA discussions are _restricted_ to its thread here.]

Originally Posted by lenwardus

When at a Honda dealership buying a Civic Hybrid the salesman said don't ever run it out of gas as
that could cause permanent damage to the batteries and void the warranty. Would the Honda hybrids
keep going on just electric power if the gas tank ran dry?

I think only if you have MIMA installed.
You might be able to get a little, short-lived electric propulsion.

Can anyone with MIMA confirm or deny?
( I should have my MIMA by the end of this month! Yea! )

I think the original post means, you can go 20 miles past when the car SAYS empty, or zero bars on the gauge.
I think (most/all) of us have done this.

[IamIan]

Originally Posted by gpsman1

I think only if you have MIMA installed.
You might be able to get a little, short-lived electric propulsion.

Can anyone with MIMA confirm or deny?
( I should have my MIMA by the end of this month! Yea! )

I think the original post means, you can go 20 miles past when the car SAYS empty, or zero bars on the gauge.
I think (most/all) of us have done this.

I can confirm that you can run the Insight with MIMA in a pure EV operation with no gas... because I did it and posted about it here on IC ~ 2 years ago.

But, as it has been said... not very far... because of the air pumping losses caused by turning the ICE ... and because you only have at most a bit over ~500Wh of available battery power ... maybe less depending on the SoC.

My best when I tested it was ~3.7 kM starting from a stop and it was pretty much ~ flat / level ground.
HERE:

If you were already in motion you could probably get further... if it was down hill further still.

Also ... although I would not recommend doing it on a regular basis... when the car runs out of gas... if the IMA system is engaged at that moment ... providing enough power to keep the engine RPMs above 1,000 ( preferably ~2,000 or so ) you can continue to drive even if you do not have MIMA as long as you can keep the assist level going to push you along.... even without MIMA this can be done just by flooring the gas pedal... you will get assist until the SoC gets too low and then it will cut out.... of course with MIMA it works a bit better because you have proportional control of the IMA... instead of having to floor the gas pedal to make sure you get the assist.... so as far as I can tell anyone MIMA or not... in a Insight should be able to get a short distance if they get the IMA assist going before they run out of gas and just keep the gas pedal down enough to keep on going even if you have no gas left...

Continued operation like this is probably not very healthy on some parts of the car.

[IamIan]

fine idea... but the BCM will prevent you from ruining the batteries.
Also even without usable HV NiMH batteries the Insight can keep running like a normal Gasoline car.
I got a used replacement for the HV NiMH battery for $250 some time ago ... a bit of my own time to recondition it.
$6k id a bit high.

[02insight]

so can a normal insight without MIMA be able to run on batteries when gas is finished? I think I might want to try it to see how the electric motor feels.

[Insightful Trekker]

02insight Re-Read the thread then ask a specific question.

The "quick" answer is yes, with qualifications.

[02insight]

Originally Posted by Insightful Trekker

02insight Re-Read the thread then ask a specific question.

The "quick" answer is yes, with qualifications.

i guess probably better not to try it, as we dont want to damage anything

[gpsman1]

How about with MIMA + 10kwh of additional, stand alone batteries???

[lenwardus]

Originally Posted by IamIan

fine idea... but the BCM will prevent you from ruining the batteries.
Also even without usable HV NiMH batteries the Insight can keep running like a normal Gasoline car.
I got a used replacement for the HV NiMH battery for $250 some time ago ... a bit of my own time to recondition it.
$6k id a bit high.

Warranty replacement of batteries, ECM, BCM. $5800

Co Pay = $0.00

[Insightful Trekker]

Originally Posted by lenwardus

Warranty replacement of batteries, ECM, BCM. $5800

True. But the battery pack alone is $3K+ _less_.

[IamIan]

Originally Posted by Insightful Trekker

True. But the battery pack alone is $3K+ _less_.

or $250 for the battery pack... as many have shown it is doable ...

Besides... running in EV mode won't hurt the batteries... not with the pedal floored & non-MIMA method... and not with the MIMA method either ... either way the BCM still protects the batteries.

Even if the battery eventually triggers a IMA light... without of without using an EV mode ... as myself and other have also shown... the IMA light does NOT mean the battery is used up or bad... If you are under warranty have Honda check it out and replace for $0 ... if your not under warranty anymore than you just have other different options to choose from... service the battery itself if you have the High Voltage know how... have someone else with the high voltage know how service the battery... pay for a used ~$300 or so battery to be installed... if the DC-DC is running ( or install a DC-DC mod to force it to be ) , then just drive as a regular gas car and ignore the battery... or pay Honda the cost of a new battery...

What ever you like to do of course... but as far as I am concerned... paying $3,000 + for a battery from Honda just seems silly / a waste.