Hybrid vehicles have come a long way since the Toyota Prius came out. Several models from different automobile companies are investing in hybrid technology. Companies are creating cars that are fuel efficient and environment friendly at the same time. With soaring gas prices, more people are switching to these vehicles to save money. After Toyota launched the first hybrid vehicle and sold it on the market, Honda created their own.
Honda Insight was the second hybrid vehicle sold on the market. It was mass produced and sold on the American market in 1999. It used the same concept in hybrid technology with an odd design. The vehicle was light weight and only available as a two seater.
Japanese Insight
Following the footsteps of the Toyota, Honda manufactured their own hybrid car. It was considered to have the highest mileage compared to other cars. It was sold in America under $20,000 and was soon followed by other hybrids such as the new upgraded model of the Toyota Prius in 2000. The insight was available in three trims: a manual transmission with or without air-conditioning, and a variable transmission with air.
Its low weight was attributed to engine mounts, calipers and break drums made of aluminum, plastic fuel tank, and a small wall pipe exhaust. The reduced weight made it more fuel efficient. Its flat back was the same with CRX, while the rounded hood was similar to the Honda Civic.
The Insight uses Honda's own hybrid technology called the Integrated Motor Assist. It has a 3.1 Liter engine and 10 kW electric motor. Nickel metal hydride batteries were placed behind the driver's and passenger's seats which has the capacity of 144 V. The vehicle uses the electric motor for added power in high speeds. In deceleration it acts a generator and recharges the batteries by using regenerative breaking. It has a 5 speed manual transmission which is considered the most fuel efficient among the variants of the Insight.
Like other hybrids it also has a computer on board to determine which and how much power it will use from the internal combustion engine and the electric motor. Unlike the Toyota Prius, Insight cannot run using the electric motor alone. Therefore it is not considered a full hybrid.
Honda Insight's production was stopped in 2006 and is planned to be replaced by a smaller hybrid car. Although it is no longer produced it is one of the pioneers in hybrid technology.
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