The Honda Civic Hybrid is a different kind of beast. In fact, it isn’t a beast at all. The engine size at about 1300 cc comes as a shock. And if you recover from that, there’s the price tag. But then, this car, fully assembled and exported from Japan, isn’t for the ordinary buyer. You just wish it was because the idea behind the Hybrid is noble to say the least and the technology used could provide viable answers in a world that is slowly waking up to global warming and carbon emissions.

It’s carbon emissions that the Hybrid throw out with ease thanks to its “idle-stop” feature, which turns off the engine temporarily when idling to minimise consumption and emissions. The feature comes into play automatically as soon as you brake. The engine restarts as soon as the brake pedal is released. So you’re cutting out on precious fuel lost those long waits at traffic lights or in those gigantic jams.

The Hybrid is powered by Honda’s 1.3L i-Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control (VTEC) engine and a compact and efficient electric motor—the Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) system. And its the IMA that kicks in at traffic halts.

The Civic Hybrid uses a combination of batteries and fuel to run. The recharging of its 158-volt batteries takes place when you ease the accelerator, hit the brakes or when cruising if the computer determines the battery needs charging. When you slow down, the primary source of deceleration is the electric motor, not the fuel engine as in conventional cars. Moreover, the hybrid uses a special electric motor that can also operate as a generator. Using the car’s momentum to spin this motor creates electricity, which is sent back to the battery pack. This is piece of magic is called regenerative braking. Hitting the brakes lightly will cause the electric motor to resist motion further, and in doing so, even more electricity is produced to send to the batteries.

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