- Honda Car Owner's Manual

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57
IMAMOTOR/GENERATOR
Role
Thethindesignmotorislocatedbetweenthe3-cylinderengineandthetransmission.TheIMAmotor
servesanumberoffunctions:
• Itassistsinvehiclepropulsionwhenneeded,allowingtheuseofasmallerinternalcombustion
engine.
• It operates as a generator, allowing excess energy (such as during braking) to be used to
rechargetheIMABatteryModule,andlaterbeusedtoprovideassist.
• It takes the place oftheconventionalalternator, providing energythatultimatelyfeeds the
Insight'sconventional12velectricalsystem.
• It is used to start the internal combustionenginevery quicklyand quietly. This allowsthe
internalcombustionenginetobeturnedoffwhennotneed,withoutanydelayinrestartingon
demand.
• Itisusedtodampencrankshaftspeedvariations,leadingtosmootheridle.
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Location
TheIMAmotorislocatedbetweentheinternalcombustionengine(ICE)andclutch.Oneendofthe
IMAmotorrotorisboltedtotheICEcrankshaft,andtheotherendoftherotorisboltedtotheflywheel.
BecauseoftheIMAmotoraddsrotationalmass,theweightoftheflywheelcanbereducedbyanamount
equaltotheweightoftheIMAmotorrotor.
Theflywheelretainsgearteethforthebackup12vstartermotortomeshwithwhenitisengaged.In
manual transmission Insights, as with other manual transmission vehicles, the clutch also serves as a
surfacefortheclutch.
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