Sierra Mazda’s Guide to Green Driving: Part 11
Ken Liu’s Hybrid Discussion Part 2
Mazda-3 5-door
The electric motor also acts as an electric generator, used for charging the hybrid’s battery pack. In simple terms, when the electric motor is not assisting the engine with power, the electric motor becomes a large alternator, and charges the battery pack located behind the rear bulkhead (rear seat). When you apply the brakes to slow down the vehicle, the brushes in the electric motor produces electricity. The electricity is then transferred to the battery pack. New improvements in Honda’s IMA system allows the IMA system to charge the battery pack while coasting or very during light acceleration, compared to the old system which relied mostly on the braking to charge the battery. All of this means that you never have to plug the car in to charge the batteries – in fact you cannot charge the batteries except via the on-board charging features.
