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Insight—or out of mind?
As an engineer and journalist who has written about the technology in the Honda Insight, I was more interested in how the hybrid power system would function and perform in normal driving situations.
By Design News Staff -- Design News, October 2, 2000
Needham, MA —"Your new toy is here," was my wife's voice-mail message when the elves delivered Honda's hybrid gas/electric Insight for a weeklong ride and drive. Let's face it, not since the Plymouth Neon debuted has there been a cuter car (or one that looks more like a car of the future). But as an engineer and journalist who has written about the technology in the Insight (see "How it works," EDN , 08.03.00, www.ednmag.com/ ), I was more interested in how the hybrid power system would function and perform in normal driving situations.
The biggest impression is that there is no impression! The transition from gasoline power to combined gas and electric motor boost is seamless and transparent to the driver. An electronic gauge in the instrument cluster is the only way to tell if the Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) is boosting the highly efficient three-cylinder engine, or being used to charge the 44-lb nickel metal hydride battery pack behind the driver and passenger seats. The IMA is a thin (2.3-inch thick) disk that mounts neatly between the engine and transmission and produces 10 kW and also serves as the starter.
In addition to standard brakes, regenerative braking is also used to slow the car and charge the batteries. Here again there is no noticeable difference in operation compared with conventional brakes.
Tach it up. To some people, energy-efficient cars may have a wimp image, but typical commuter driving showed the Insight is no slouch in keeping up with the herd. I was able to accelerate more than adequately for merging, and the car's small size enhanced maneuverability. But therein lies the rub—in order to accelerate adequately, the outstanding EPA mileage numbers (see sidebar) get tossed in the dumper. (Maybe there is something about the EPA test conditions that causes hybrids to excel at them.) If you follow the indicator light on when to upshift (at around 1,800 rpm) you'd best put on the hazard blinkers. Shifting about 1,000 rev above that eliminated anemic acceleration.
While any car design is a compromise, such features indicate, and Honda admits, the Insight is optimized (or skewed, depending on your point of view) to maximize mileage—thus its two-seat configuration. Other enhancements include an all-aluminum structure for light weight—astutely designed with crush zones and members so efficient as to earn four out of five stars in National Highway Traffic Safety Administration crash tests, as well as to meet 2003 side-impact and head-protection standards, according to Honda. But also saving fuel-burning weight is an apparent dearth of insulation, making for a noisy ride—which coupled with the low position (due to the car's drag-reducing low height) of the non-tilting seats made the car one of the most uncomfortable I've driven.
Shut down. After some confusion (even after reading the manual), I was able to discern the ECON button was not the climate control but a nifty gas-saving feature that shuts the engine off while waiting at a light. Slip the gearshift into first, and the engine is up and running again before you can let out the clutch.
My overall economy was 46.2 mpg over 239.5 miles, commuting and Interstate, according to the Insight's mileage gauge (50.1 mpg from the less-precise fill-up method pumping only 4.78 gal). The gauge also displays a lifetime number, which was clocked at 44.8 mpg for 549.2 miles. Some weeks later, a fellow journalist drove an Insight on a day trip on the Interstate and logged roughly 53 mpg on the gauge—all while trying to find out how fast it would go and if he could deplete the battery!
The Insight is an interesting design exercise. But while the hybrid propulsion works more or less as advertised, I feel the jury is still out until more useful four seaters arrive. Honda plans a hybrid powertrain on a four-passenger Civic model in Japan for 2001 and then expansion into the U.S. "in the near future." Toyota is debuting their four-passenger Prius hybrid in the U.S. this fall. Such cars may prove more practical for the price premium involved.
| Insight facts | |
|---|---|
| Engine/IMA electric motor | 995 cc/10 kW |
| Horsepower@rpm | 67@5,700 |
| w/IMA | 73@5,700 |
| Torque(lb-ft)@rpm | 66@4,800 |
| w/IMA | 91@2,000 |
| EPA mileage, mpg (city/hwy) | 61/70 |
| Fuel capacity | 10.6 gal |
| Curb Weight | 1,856 lb/1,887 lb w/air conditioning |
| Max. Load | 375 lb |
| Suggested retail price | $18,880/$20,080 w/air conditioning |
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