There’s another important reason that the Civic Hybrid is going lithium—so the next generation of Civic Hybrid owners don’t go postal.

The Civic Hybrid is the only hybrid model for which we've seen numerous customer complaints about critical battery failures. Civic Hybrid owners have reported loss of power or outright pack failures, and have not been satisfied with the company’s fixes. The fact that the Civic Hybrid is the only hybrid model—from Honda or any other hybrid car producer—with a chronic battery issue suggests an issue with the supplier or the system design. The shift to lithium hopefully will put the issue in the rear view mirror.

These complaints, and the introduction of the new Honda Insight and CR-Z hybrid coupe—other small Honda hybrids that potentially compete for sales—help explain why Honda Civic Hybrid sales dropped by 50 percent between 2009 and 2010.

The Civic's low sales are another reason that it's a good candidate for the switch to lithium. "The Civic Hybrid is not a large seller," said German. "So it makes sense for Honda to convert this vehicle first to lithium ion and gain some real world experience with it before moving to lithium ion for the Insight, CR-Z, and other hybrids."