Honda had the electric engine essentially replacing the flywheel on their IMA system. They could have dropped the typical starter motor but it was kept for redu

Honda had the electric engine essentially replacing the flywheel on their IMA system. They could have dropped the typical starter motor but it was kept for redundancy. While the ICE would still move at all times valves could stay up for 1 (only 3 firing) to 4 cylinders (no ignition at all) to eliminate pump loss (there's still friction loss). Sadly the electric engine is a bit weak for full EV operation except coasting but I found the approach quite elegant. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_Motor_Assist https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_Motor_Assist