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Parallel Hybrid CarA different setting which is also used in hybrids uses the gas engine to recharge the electric engine, but never to directly power the car (this is called a series hybrid). In comparison, with a parallel hybrid electric vehicle, both the engine and the electric motor can generate the power that drives the wheels. The parallel hybrid technology is the one used cars such as Insight, Civic, and Accord hybrids from Honda. The company calls it the Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) technology. In comparison to series hybrid technology, parallel hybrids typically use a smaller battery pack and use regenerative braking to keep it recharged. When power demands are low, such as often happens in city driving conditions, parallel hybrids also use the drive motor as a generator for supplemental recharging. As the engine is in direct connection to the wheels, the parallel setup eliminates the inefficiency of converting mechanical power to electricity and back, making the parallel hybrids quite efficient on the highway. Yet in city driving, for the same parallel setup reasons, the engine operates quite inefficiently in a stop-and-go driving.
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