2000 Honda Insight:
To A Cleaner Future

My interest in the new Honda Insight, the gasoline/electric hybrid now sold in the United States, started some 1-1/2 years ago when I read an article that a new car, code named VV, was in the works. I have been a Honda tech since 1968 and have watched the automaker design and build some amazing cars. Last September, I put a deposit on an Insight at my local Honda dealership.

A month later, I received a call from Stan Stephenson, Motor Age?s contributing editor. Stan knows I have a strong interest in environmental technology. He happened to have a Toyota Prius -- that carmaker?s hybrid -- for a few days, and he invited me to drive it. For me, it was a ?no-brainer.? I made the trip to Philadelphia, and away we went.

My first drive was exciting because of the electric part of the drivetrain and the right-hand steering. We drove to Tools for Education, a training and software development company located in Ambler, PA. We went to visit its founder, Don Schnell, and Ron Turner, owner of Ridge Automotive, located nearby. Ron took off in the Prius for so long we thought we had lost him and the car! It was the fascination with the Prius and the fact that we were driving the ?future of automobiles? that kept Ron in the car longer than we anticipated. It had been a long time for most of us veterans since we had a technology this revolutionary to experience.

To a cleaner future
Thinking about the implications of this technology was exciting and awe-inspiring. This could mean that cars of the future wouldn?t have to be so cruel to the air. It also could mean that our kids--and their kids--might have a better future. After two days in and out of the Prius, I was sold on the idea of hybrids.

The Insight was coming to Stan next and I returned to my shop to wait for another call. The phone rang a month later. This was it--my opportunity was here. The Insight was not for sale yet, so this was special. We made it a family affair with my wife Deb, our eight-year-old son Michael, and myself. Stan pulled up to the hotel in a shiny, red five-speed Insight. We were off, with me in the driver?s seat. This was almost too much to behold! The only other hybrid around and here I was in this truly revolutionary vehicle.

But then came the surprise. I was disappointed at first! The Insight just seemed like a really cool Honda, sort of a CRX on steroids. I only had a short time to drive it because I was teaching a class near home and had to get back. Deb drove it and Mike got a ride, too. On the way back it hit me. I realized why I was disappointed with this car.

When the Acura NSX first came out in 1991, I had one on loan for a day. It was great; everything worked well. The press couldn?t find much wrong with it. It did everything the way it was supposed to. That was it! That was why I was disappointed with the Insight. It has the same Honda problem that the NSX had. They did it right the first time!

The Prius was fine, but you could hear the whine of the electric motor. You could feel the drag when you stepped on the brakes and the electric motor started to recharge the batteries. The car was odd in many ways. It was clearly a very different vehicle.

The Insight, on the other hand, was not. It does have a few things you have to get used to. After I realized it was my expectations and not the car, I recovered. I started to look forward to the delivery of the new Insight!

The new arrival
On Feb. 16, 2000, my new Honda was ready to be picked up. Deborah and I took delivery at lunch and we took the long way back. I even let Deb drive the last few miles! Serial number 157; we were the first in Massachusetts to register a new Insight. The car drove fine with just a slightly ?notchy? shifter. It was only 38°F outside, so we ?chocked that up? to a new transmission and cold oil.

At the second stop light I shifted into neutral and came to a stop. The engine shut off! Honda calls that ?auto-stop.? It reminded me of my first car with a bad carburetor--couldn?t make that one idle either. This idle stop, however, was planned.

To save fuel, the engine shuts off at 19 mph as you coast to a stop in most conditions. Deb and I made it back to the shop and pulled right into the service department. All our techs stopped working and swarmed over the car to see how it all worked. We had been discussing the Insight for a while now. The three-cylinder engine (1.0 liter/chain-driven cam) puts out 67 horsepower (hp). The 10-kilowatt DC brushless electric motor makes 13 hp and lots of torque. The aluminum body is 47 percent lighter than a Civic hatch, but it?s the fender skirts that make it work. The Insight is the most aerodynamic car you can buy. At a CD of 0.25, it is very slippery and has a somewhat Citroen look at the rear. Most comments about the styling go like this: "It?s you, Craig." I?m not sure that is a good thing!

Through the paces
Our New England skies dumped eight inches of snow on us the next day, so the Insight stayed in a service bay for the next few days. I went over to ?visit? it on Saturday. I haven?t had this much fun with a car in a long time. We got down to business with the Insight on Monday morning. I read the owner?s manual (a shop manual was on order) and played with the dash readouts. Now that I knew how to push all the buttons on the digital dash, I could compute the fuel mileage. This is called ?buttonology? and it is a science in itself. The system works by using the PCM and by watching injector on-time. That sounds pretty accurate to me. Now it became my daily ride. My briefcase fit well into the storage compartment below the rear hatch floor, I discovered.

One day I needed to travel to Boston to meet with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) about our new I/M program. One of the top DEP officials came out to the parking lot to check out the car. He drives a natural gas-powered Honda Civic GX--a ?politically correct? car. Cruising at 74 mph (I usually push it) I get 53.8 mpg according to my onboard computer. Cool, but not enough mileage. Back to Worcester and my five-mile commute to work, a short trip to my son?s school (don?t ask why) and a visit to Mom. Average mileage on this trip was 52.3.

A true test
So, what about this 75 mpg I read about? I would have to test it out on a longer trip. One of my side interests is impersonating Elton John professionally. Some of you have seen my act. In any case, a trip to Boston for an upcoming gig would be perfect for seeing if I could stretch the mileage.

As I head off to Boston in my Elton garb, I reflect on the mileage I am getting so far. The 10.6-gallon tank came filled from the dealership. I have more than half of a tank and driven 275 miles. I am getting to like this.

I have time to cruise at 55 mph this time for a real test. Back off with the right foot, no electric assist needed; the 1.0-liter is up to the task. I arrive early at the Hard Rock Café in Boston and park out front. My fuel economy was 74.9 mpg. Nice ride in, about 60 miles and it didn?t even take a gallon of petrol to do it. I am impressed.

Making an impression
On my way back I drive at my usual speed and, sure enough, the mileage is a lot less. Almost home now, I stop at Kinko?s to pick up some workbooks and two men in a VW Jetta pull up and are staring . . . at me, the car or both? I get out, in full Elton costume and say in an English accent, 

"Are you staring at the Insight or Elton?" They are embarrassed and try to apologize until I tell them I am not Elton (they really thought I was) and get into the discussion I?ve had many times about how the car works.

They take turns asking questions. 

"Do you have to plug it in?" Nope, it charges it?s own batteries when you brake. They call it regenerative braking, I explain. 

"Where are the batteries?" In a compartment behind the passenger seat.

 "What about a rear-end accident with that big battery back there . . . won?t it explode?" Nope, the battery pack is 120 D-size nickel-metal-hydride-type.

"Are these cars for sale?" Sure, for $20,000, but they are in short supply. The car is built in Japan by the same factory that makes the NSX and the new S-2000. 

"Does it have any power?" Sure, feels like a 1500 Civic, very respectable. 

"How does the electric motor and gas engine work together?" I launch into my discussion about the three-cylinder V-tec, the lightest-weight engine in the world (124 pounds). The engine starts when the Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) motor spins the crank at 1,000 rpm--instant starting. When you accelerate mildly, the gasoline engine can handle most situations, but when you start up a hill, pass someone or just want more horsepower, the electric motor ramps up to help you out. The process is depicted by a computer readout on the dash, situated between the gas gauge and the battery gauge.

After you back off on the gas pedal, the assist meter goes back to zero. When the assist meter is on, the batteries are being used up. Now step on the brake and the charge-meter goes to full charge as the electric motor becomes a generator and the batteries start to recharge. The battery meter keeps you informed of the state of the charge. If the batteries fall below 1/3 charge (never happened to me, even in 7°F weather) the auto-stop feature is disabled until the batteries come back up. 

"OK, but what happens if the 144-volt battery pack goes dead?" Honda has installed a 12-volt battery and a conventional starter. Just call your tow company and jump-start it, just like any other car.

"OK, but what about an accident?" This car is safe, I answered. It completed a four-star crash test, complete with two air bags and crush zones. 

"When the engine shuts off at a traffic light, don?t you lose the brakes and power steering?" The Insight has electric power steering and a vacuum reservoir for the power brakes. 

"What about the A/C?" If the A/C is on economy and the cabin temperature is low enough, auto-stop will work. Furthermore, there is a lot of fuel wasted and tailpipe emissions created when a car is idling. So this car saves gas and has no emissions at idle.

The guys wanted to know if the local dealer had any more in stock.

Looking back and to the future
I now have more than 6,000 miles on this car. There have been two recalls so far, one for a new PCM and a harness for the rear wiper. The dealer fixed those right away.

The Insight uses a special Honda 0/20 oil in the engine. We have had it on the dyno twice. The emissions are very low and it?s rated an ultra-low emissions vehicle (ULEV). The car has two catalytic converters, one three-way and one for N0_X. The N0_X converter stores N0_X when the mixture is lean and releases the it when it goes rich. So N0_X emissions are very low compared to most cars. The CO₂ (greenhouse gas) emissions are the lowest in the country because of the great fuel mileage. Honda says the IMA system will be offered on the Civic line soon.

The Insight continues to draw big crowds. The shifting is smoother. The car seems faster. It has seen 100 mph and is a joy to drive. I took a trip to York, PA in mid-March to help promote clean air. Four days on the road at highway speeds produced plenty of power, and the batteries stayed at half-charge or better the whole time. Now when I drive a regular car, it just seems odd that the engine is on when I don?t need it.

Someday we really are going to run out of gas. This type of car will help us until we figure out something else. Considering where gas prices are right now, I can?t think of a more appropriate quote than this one: "The Stone Age did not end because they ran out of stones."

Check out http://www.nhtsa.gov to see how the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration rated the vehicle.

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