Honda Insight

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Honda Insight

Manufacturer	Honda
Production	1999—2006
Assembly	Suzuka, Mie, Japan
Class	Subcompact
Body style(s)	2-door hatchback
Layout	FF layout
Engine(s)	Gasoline: 0.995 L lean-burn I3 12-valve SOHC Electric: 144 volt 10 kW
Transmission(s)	5-speed manual Continuously variable transmission
Wheelbase	2400 mm (94.5 in)
Length	3945 mm (155.1 in)
Width	1695 mm (66.7 in)
Height	1355 mm (53.3 in)
Curb weight	Manual w/o AC 1847 lb (838 kg) Manual w/ AC 1878 lb (852 kg) CVT w/ AC 1964 lb (891 kg)

The Honda Insight was a two-seater hybrid automobile manufactured by the Japanese automaker Honda. It was the first mass-produced hybrid automobile sold in the United States, introduced in 1999.^[1] At its height, it achieved nearly 70 miles per gallon (3.4 L per 100 km). (In Japan, the first generation of the Toyota Prius was launched in 1997.) According to the EPA, the 5-speed manual transmission variant of the Insight was the most fuel-efficient mass-produced automobile sold in the United States.¹ The Insight also features low emissions: the California Air Resources Board gave the 5-speed model a ULEV rating, and the CVT model earned a SULEV rating. (The 5-speed's lean-burn ability is a trade-off which increases efficiency at the expense of slightly higher NOx emissions.)

1 Technology
2 Manufacturing
3 Replacement battery pack cost
4 Awards
5 Customizations
6 See also
7 References
8 External links

Technology

Honda Insight IMA

The Insight uses the first generation of Honda's Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) hybrid technology. (The next generation, used in the Honda Civic Hybrid, is much more space-efficient.) The Insight has a 3-cylinder 1.0 Liter engine and a brushless 10-kWelectric motor located on the crankshaft.^[1] Behind the driver's and the passenger's seats there are a set of 144 V NiMH batteries. During heavy acceleration, the electric motor provides additional power; during deceleration, the motor acts as a generator and recharges the batteries using a process called regenerative braking. A computer control module regulates how much power comes from the internal combustion engine, and how much from the electric motor; in the CVT variant, it also finds the optimal gear ratio. The current battery charge is shown on the dashboard, as is the instantaneous fuel efficiency and current state of the electric motor — whether it is assisting the engine or charging the batteries. Unlike the Toyota Prius, which has a planetary gearset, the original Insight had a conventional manual transmission. Starting with the 2001 model, a CVT variant of the Insight was available; the CVT is similar to that used in the Honda Civic Hybrid and the Honda Logo. The Insight is not considered a "full" hybrid vehicle because it cannot run on the electric motor alone, whereas its competitor, the Prius, can be operated solely on the electric motor. A feature shared by the two hybrids is the ability to automatically turn off the engine when the vehicle is at a stop (and restart it upon movement). Since it is more powerful (10 kW) than most starters of conventional cars, the Insight's electric motor can start the engine nearly instantaneously. While formidable, the Insight was not the most fuel efficient mass-produced car ever sold in the United States, which was the Messerschmitt KR200, a three wheel vehicle similar to the Corbin Sparrow and about the size of a Commuter Cars Tango. The Integrated Motor Assist is run by an "Intelligent Power Unit (IPU)", a desktop computer-sized box. The Intelligent Power Unit, the Power control Unit, the Electronic Control Unit, the vehicle's batteries, converter and a high-voltage inverter are all located under the cargo floor of the vehicle, behind the seats.^[1] The Insight had one of the lowest coefficients of drag of any car on the market. Its .25 coefficient was not as low as the EV1's 0.19.^[1] The vehicle was also remarkably light, weighing less than a ton. To achieve the low weight, Honda built the insight with aluminum front brake calipers and rear brake drums; the fuel tank was plastic; the engine mounts are aluminum; and the exhaust was a small, thin wall pipe.^[1] The Insight was available with a manual transmission or a continuously variable transmission (CVT). A traditional transmission shifts between a fixed set of engine-to-wheel ratios; however, a CVT allows for an infinite set of ratios between its lowest gear and its highest. The CVT transmission was classified as a super-low emissions vehicle.^[2]

Manufacturing

The Insight was assembled at the Honda factory in Suzuka, Japan, where the Honda NSX and the Honda S2000 are also assembled. The Insight and the NSX are aluminum bodies, while the S2000 employs a steel body. Sales were small, but Honda sees the vehicle as more of a halo car than a volume seller. At the 2003 Tokyo Motor Show, Honda introduced the concept car Honda IMAS, an extremely fuel-efficient and lightweight hybrid car made of aluminum and carbon fiber, which was perceived by most observers to be the future direction where the Insight is heading. In May 2006, Honda announced that production of the Insight would stop in September 2006. According to Honda [1], it will be replaced by a new hybrid car smaller than the eighth generation Civic. While year round production of the Insight would stop in 2006, limited production during the winter would continue as necessary, presumably for parts. During its six year production, Honda sold more than 13,200 Insights. It was designed as a real world test car for hybrid technology and to gauge driving habits.

Replacement battery pack cost

Since the Insight's introduction, many have wondered what costs an Insight owner would face if the car's NiMH battery pack needs replacing. As of October 2006, Honda is paying the replacement cost of these batteries on cars with up to 150,000 miles of use. As of September 2007, one dealer quote is US$5000.

Awards

The Insight's engine won the International Engine of the Year award for 2000, and continued to hold the "Sub-1 liter" size category for the next six years. The Insight was nominated for the North American Car of the Year award for 2001.

Customizations

A number of Insight owners have performed some interesting and unique customization to their cars over the years. Honda Hybrids are Parallel Hybrids which at first glance would not seem to benefit much from a plug-in hybrid conversion as they do not have an EV-mode like the Toyota Prius. However by using a larger battery the 10 kW IMA could be run in a constant assist mode to displace gas consumption and push the mileage well into the one-hundreds on the freeway. The Insight is a very light and aerodynamic vehicle which makes it rather attractive for conversion.

Manual IMA

The MIMA or (Manual IMA (Integrated Motor Assist)) project has developed a component and pre-assembled kit to allow Honda Insight drivers to manually control both IMA Assist and Regen. This modification enables the driver to alter the IMA's normal assist and regen characteristics. It also makes it possible to directly input assist and regen with an analog joystick. It is currently only available for the Insight but not the Civic or Accord. While not an Insight PHEV (Plug-in hybrid) project itself, it makes it possible to use additional battery capacity in a blended mode similar to Prius PHEV at speeds greater than 34 mph. MIMA allows the driver to set an aggressive assist type profile allowing the IMA to contribute up to 10 kW of continuous power. This would rapidly deplete the stock battery which may reach empty within 5 minutes or 5 miles. Some Insight drivers may already be familiar with Recalibration Events, Recals, which are essentially the manifestation or the State Of Charge Drift portion of the vehicles battery management routines. While the most common Recals are negative and occur when the SOC reaches a lower limit, it is also possible to recalibrate or drift up if the SOC is determined to be higher than expected. Such behavior makes possible State Of Charge Manipulation by simply keeping the battery's voltage or perceived voltage near the upper limit. Technically, as long as the lower SOC limit is not reached, MIMA makes it possible to command any desired level of IMA assistance which diminishes the importance of SOC Manipulation. Both simple and hybrid Battery Pack Configurations would be equally effective in such a conversion because of the previous point. A hybrid pack would leave the stock battery in place and might eliminate the need for a Battery Tap Emulator, yet a simple configuration replacing the NiMH pack with a superior Lithium battery would maximize energy density and keep vehicle weight well under 2000 pounds. A battery charger would be required and might also double as a hybrid pack's power regulation device which could lessen the constraints on choosing a battery packs geometry (voltage, cells, or number of batteries).

EV conversion

Gary Graunke of Hillsboro, Oregon has converted his "Out-a-sight" Insight into a battery electric vehicle. He is using a Metric Mind Siemens 5105WS12 AC Motor, Siemens AC SIMOVERT 6SV short inverter, and the original manual transmission without the clutch. The battery pack was originally (168 V) fourteen 12 V 38 Ah Hawker Genesis and now consists of (309 V) eighty-six ThunderSky 90 AH 3.6 V LiIon cells, charged with a Manzanita Micro PFC50 10 KW. His range was 20 miles with 9 year-old Hawkers and should be 230 miles with Li-Ion. Curb Weight is 2100 pounds from the original 1850 pounds.

Turbo

Willies Red Rocket is an Insight with a General Motors Geo's turbo charger and intercooler system that produces 8 psi of boost.

Drag racing

This Pro Stock Drag Insight is highly modified. The hybrid power train has been removed.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e K.A.W.. "On the Insight track; Honda augments a three-banger with an electrified flywheel", AutoWeek, December 6, 1999, p. 27.
^ "Of belts and pulleys and cones: The continuously variable transmission shifts into the mainstream", AutoWeek, December 10, 2001, p. 14.