Honda Insight: Hybrid gasoline-electric car
(This feature for subscribers
only!)
 After
the first few minutes of test driving my friend's new Honda Insight, I
knew that I had to write a review of the car for Ars. Why? The left-brain
reason is that the Insight is technologically impressive. It integrates a
number of inventive fuel saving technologies - everything from advanced materials
and construction to novel engine design - stuff I know will interest many
Ars readers. The right-brain reason is that the car is just simply fun to
drive. The whole package is so well balanced and so intelligently
engineered that its main selling point - the incredible fuel economy -
almost becomes an afterthought. So here I give my driving impressions and
describe the Insight's fuel-saving technologies. Props to my friend Chris
Stokes for letting me borrow his baby.
Overview
Honda has a
history of producing innovative, fuel efficient and low emission, engine
technology. Anyone out there old enough to remember the Civic CVCC (1973)?
The CVCC or Compound Vortex Controlled Combustion system burned fuel so
completely that it passed California's emission standards without a
catalytic converter. In '84, the 1.3 liter Civic CRX achieved an
impressive EPA reading of 51/67 mpg (city/hwy). In '92 the Civic VX could
get 50 mpg without sacrificing performance by using a lean burning engine
with variable lift intake valves (VTEC-E). After '92, Honda like most
other car manufacturers developed alternative fuel vehicles such as the
natural gas burning Civic GX and the zero-emissions electric motor EV
Plus. However, while important for research and development, these cars
never became commercially successful due to cost, issues of performance,
and lack of supporting infrastructure (i.e. Gas stations don't have EV
outlets or natural gas hook ups). With the Insight, Honda has again up'd
the ante with regard to fuel efficiency and emissions, by producing a
technologically interesting and commercially viable stepping stone between
today's combustion engine cars and the potential "super green"
cars of the future.
|
At a
glance |
| Vehicle
type |
front-wheel
drive, 2-person, 3-door coupe |
| Fuel
consumption (hwy/city) |
70/61
mpg |
| Acceleration
(0-60 mph) |
11
sec |
| Transmission |
5
speed manual |
| Body
construction |
Aluminum
alloy |
| Curb
weight |
1887
lbs. |
| Aerodynamic
drag |
0.25
cd |
| Price
w/ AC |
$20,080
US |
The Honda
Insight is an ultra-low emissions, hybrid gasoline-electric car that gets
an impressive 70 miles per gallon. In comparison, my Volkswagon GTI-VR6
burns twice as dirty and gets less than half the gas mileage (28 mpg),
and a typical SUV (e.g. Ford Explorer) gets less than 1/3 the gas
mileage (20 mpg). At first glance, the Insight looks like
a modernized Honda CRX, but the car is chock full of technology and
materials you won't find in any conventional car. The Insight is powered
by a highly efficient 1.0 liter combustion engine, and a compact electric
motor. The car never needs to be "plugged in" like a traditional
electric vehicle, because the batteries are charged by regenerative
braking and the gasoline engine. Since the Insight runs primarily on
gasoline, which has a much higher energy density than batteries, it has a
much farther cruising range than any electric car - 600 miles on one full
tank. With gas prices at an all time high since the 70's, Honda's
introduction of the Insight couldn't have been more timely.
|
