As we all know, Toyota is the earliest car company with hybrid technology, so there are two kinds of car hybrids, one is Toyota's THS system and the other is other hybrids. It can be seen that Toyota is really deeply rooted in the hybrid field. However, some viewpoints will change over time. Although Toyota's hybrid developed earlier, it has not made progress for so many years, while Honda's hybrid started late and has been making progress.
The core of Toyota THS hybrid system is the planetary gear of its E-CVT. It is precisely because of this set of gears that this system can realize a variety of power matching according to different working conditions. It is driven by the motor at low speed and the engine at high speed. In the process of driving the vehicle by the engine, the extra power is used to charge the battery, which is the realization way of Toyota THS system. The advantage is to make the Atkinson engine work in the high efficiency range as much as possible, that is, the starting speed is about 2000 rpm, but there are many very congested roads in reality, which do not have such road conditions. This makes THS sometimes not reach the ideal working state.
Let's take a look at the difference between Toyota THS and Honda. Honda's hybrid is not achieved overnight. In fact, Honda's original remix was IMA's. Because Toyota applied for a patent for the hybrid core "planetary gear", the latecomers can only take other ways. At first, Honda adopted the "IMA" hybrid power with relatively simple structure, that is, a low-power motor was added to the transmission system to help, which was similar to other hybrid power on the market at that time, because the effect of this system on power and fuel consumption was not obvious, and Honda did not vigorously promote it.
It was not until the appearance of Honda i-MMD that Honda had a hybrid system that could really compete with Toyota THS. Because Toyota blocked the patented technology of planetary gears, Honda had to find another way, which led to a completely different way to realize the hybrid. Honda's i-MMD also claims to have an E-CVT, but its E-CVT is not a gearbox in the traditional sense. It consists of a generator, a motor and an electrically controlled clutch. It is not a speed change mechanism, but a power switching mechanism. To be precise, it is a switching mechanism between the motor and the engine output, and the engine output is directly connected instead of variable speed. The beauty of this hybrid is that it makes full use of the advantages of motor and engine.
As we all know, the motor can release the maximum torque when starting the machine, so it is more efficient at low speed, while the engine, contrary to the motor, is more efficient at medium and high speed, so Honda's i-MMD skillfully uses these two points. When driving at low speed, use the motor as much as possible. If the battery is low, the engine will start, but at this time, the engine does not participate in driving the vehicle, but drives the generator to generate electricity to provide electric energy for the motor, similar to the extended-range electric vehicle. The advantage of this is that the engine can run in an efficient speed range when it is started. After the vehicle enters the high speed, the motor no longer outputs power, and the engine directly outputs power through direct connection, which not only reduces the mechanical loss, but also improves the efficiency of the engine in the high speed range, and the excess power can also charge the battery.
It can be seen that although the implementation methods are different, they all realize the work of making the engine more efficient. At present, the representative models equipped with these two hybrid systems are undoubtedly Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. In terms of driving experience of power system, Accord is obviously superior to Camry. In addition to almost the same ride comfort, the Accord equipped with i-MMD surpasses THS Camry in power response and fuel consumption performance.
Comments: Toyota's hybrid is indeed powerful, fuel-efficient and highly reliable, but Toyota's THS has actually not been improved for many years, and Honda's investment and research on hybrid in recent years from IMA to i-MMD are remarkable in the circle, and judging from the performance of these two hybrid systems today, if Toyota's hybrid is not as good as other hybrids, this statement will inevitably be blown. Honda broke through the patent lock-in and developed its own hybrid system. I have to say that the technical Honda is a real cow. Personally, I think these two hybrid systems have their own advantages. Toyota's THS has better reliability and ride comfort, and Honda's i-MMD has better fuel consumption performance and power, and its reliability needs to be verified by the market. The above is the master's opinion, I hope it will help you!
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