Honda 2006 Civic Hybrid Online Reference Owner's Manual page 71

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IMA Battery Level Gauge
BATTERY LEVEL GAUGE
This gauge shows you the state of
charge of the battery for the
Integrated Motor Assist (IMA). This
battery is recharged by the engine,
and discharged by the IMA when it
is assisting the engine with powering
the vehicle.
The gauge reading may drop near
the bottom under driving conditions
that require IMA motor assistance
for a long time, such as prolonged
acceleration or climbing a long hill.
The engine will recharge the battery
as you continue driving.
If the battery is mostly discharged,
the auto idle stop function is disabled
(see page 170 ).
The battery level gauge does not
read the battery level directly. It
calculates the level by continuously
measuring the current flow, voltage,
and temperature.
Since the level is not read directly,
small sensing errors can, over time,
cause the gauge to read higher than
the actual battery level. The system
will then perform a correction, and
the battery level gauge reading will
drop suddenly. When this happens,
IMA assist and Auto Idle Stop are
disabled until the IMA battery is
sufficiently recharged by normal
driving. This should take only a few
minutes.
This correction of the battery level
gauge is normal and does not
indicate a problem. If the IMA
battery develops a problem or
becomes deteriorated, the IMA
system indicator will come on. If this
happens, have the vehicle checked
by your dealer as soon as possible.
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