Honda Insight Tech Geek-Out: Hybrid Technology Interview

[krissern14]

this is almost a copy of the Toyota Prius o.O



[Hiteminthewallet]

Anything over 40 mpg is great. At least, you have unhooked yourself from the gas pump.

I would hardly call 50 mpg top of the line though. To earn that title show me 150 miles on a gallon. For now they are all pretty close, give or take 10 miles here or there.

[G1NZOU]

@Hiteminthewallet My car is around 42-45mpg and it's from 1969.

Guess away.

One clue, it's British.

[GoMetricToday]

I love my Insight. I average 4.2 L per 100 km. That is a far cry better than my Element averaging about 10.5 L per 100 km.

[ripper3200]

EPA, fueleconomy(dot)gov

New MPG (tests are more realistic)  City/Hwy/Combined

Prius 2010 - 51/48/50

Prius 2004 - 48/45/46

Insight 2010 - 40/43/41

Smart 2009- 33/41/36

Jetta Tdi 2009 - 29/40/33

Fit 2009- 27/33/30

They are all great on gas! Pick the one you like the best, and don't hate the rest!

[Justniceboy2]

What a ugly car is the Honda the Prius rules.

Honda is a copycat!!!!!!

[sethLOVEusa]

tu te souvient de la premiere insight ? c'est la prius qui a copié dessu !

[garoiscool]

Why do Hybrids have to be ugly? I mean, really...

[redmartian]

At least the original Insight looked cool. This new one just looks like an ugly Prius.

[garoiscool]

True, the original was better looking. But I just think that Hybrids should have a better look.

[tmchicago]

its the aerodynamics

[garoiscool]

Probably. But I still think they can come up with better aerodynamic designs for these cars.

[tmchicago]

well

toyota has some pretty good concepts on their website

5-10 more years

we will have some really good electric cars

[garoiscool]

I can't wait. :)

[tmchicago]

ya me too

[alexkvaskov]

electric cars aren't the future, hydrogen have more potential - look at the honda FCX clarity

[Brettcomedyzone]

Hydrogen cars are electric cars. They simply use a hydrogen fuel cell to generate electricity. The fuel cell technology is down the run, but we can have electric cars today. If fuel cells become viable (both with costs and infrastructure) all the electric technology (except for the battery) can be used with a hydrogen car.

[alexkvaskov]

what i think car companies should make in the future are clean diesel/hydrogen fuel cell hybrids. clean diesels emit about 500 times less sulfur than they did 30-40 years ago, and emit about the same co2 as comparable petrol engines. plus diesel engines have gotten quieter and smoother over the years. some modern diesels can get up to 80mpg in the highway and an electric car can get up to 50 mpg in the city, giving you an average of up to 65 mpg city and highway driving which is awesome

[Brettcomedyzone]

I think there are a lot of great technologies we could have if the oil companies didn't have the politicians in their back pockets. For example: plug-in hybrid technology, diesel (which could also run on veggie oil) electric hybrid, electric cars, and perhaps crossovers between cars and motorcycles. My Corolla is one of the more misery cars in the states, but in Europe would be a big, heavy, guzzler. I can't afford a hybrid, but really don't need all the power my car possesses.

[G1NZOU]

@alexkvaskov Rephrasing that, it would be "Conventional power cell cars aren't the future, Hydrogen fuel cell powered cars have more potential."

They're both electric, the fuel cell has the great advantage of you being able to drive it, stop, fill up and drive some more rather than have to stop off and recharge for a few hours.

[G1NZOU]

@garoiscool Hey now, this is far from ugly.

Sure, it's not supercar beautiful but it's relatively sleek and pleasant to look at, remember this is a four door family car so they only have certain tolerances to design to to meet the starting specifications and safety requirements.

[IsaiaIsme]

@garoiscool aerodynamics

[radumicu]

Just drive a Turbo Diesel if you need Torque. The Hybrid is still under the Diesel Tehnology when it comes about feeling and consumption, not to mention the torque and the prices!

[Chick6517]

That video was amazing. Can you explain to me how you got all of that on camera? Hahah, this is definitely a video to remember!

[lostaznking]

lmao its like going back in time... (power wise)

remember when the mighty Rolls Royce and Ferrari engines only made like 40-160 horsepower lol

i get that its a advance hybrid engine but 13 horsepower is a joke lol

[dsmdeegen]

you have to remember that this is instant torque, not a revving engine.(engine builds power over rpm) motor( has instant power)

A engine is a different than a motor. a motor is electric, engine is not, thus a 13 hp motor that generates power from braking, and has INSTANT torque off the line. there is no need to rev to 2500 rpms before power is made, its more linear being elec

and the car doesnt have 13 hp, it has a 13hp electric motor helping the rest of the engine.

get me? kinda confusing...:)

[Zenneth12]

still getting scammed for the real thing.

[JerZeeBoi91]

wow that car stinks..its just a copy of the prius..and the prius has better fuel economi!!!

[zizoubilly]

the only hybrid I'd drive

[emerica420]

Sage Marie sounds like a porn stars name

[RexieTheKing]

no V-TECH power yo? ;((((((

[lORDELO2]

Sage Marie? Sage is cool, but followed by Marie... i know the guy didn't exactly choose his own name, but it's still cool counter balanced by lame, like Gumpert Apollo

*youtube comments* FUUUUUUU

yeah i know

[db98647]

Yet the fundamental flaw still remains. Its a Hybrid, their for it will be carrying around the extra power plant and batteries to power it.

No mater how you package it the hybrid is a bad design. A small displacement TDI diesel will always out stripe a hybrid in fuel economy.

Now if they really want me to buy one of these cars, simply drop the ICE system and go fully electric or dump the electric and go diesel.

[EnigmaNZ1]

The Japanese make what they believe the market wants. For the US that means petrol for cars, and hybrids to extend their mpg. They don't believe diesel cars have a big enough market in the US. Europe is the opposite, half the cars sold there are diesel so they get diesel powered cars and in the future diesel hybrids. Also the new diesels can't be sold in the US until it cleans up its fuel, I believe the sulphor content is too high.

[db98647]

And that's the idiocy of most car buyers here in the US.

Maybe its because i have an engineering degree. But a hybrid just doesn't seem to wash with me. Your lugging around an engine that not doing anything most of the time.

If you put a small diesel engine with similar stats to the electric motor in the car your going to get even better mileage numbers.

I have a 67 Chevy Nova with a 350 V8 and a T4 and with the very basic engine mods I made it gets about 30 mpg city.

[EnigmaNZ1]

I think the Prius design is too complicated, an ICE plus 2 electric motor generators joined through a planetary gearbox, big motors needing a big battery, and being metal hydrid, a heavy one, Its only there to convert some of the power wasted in braking so it can be used when the engine is under load. The Honda version is simple and does the job. Small motor, small battery, small ICE, but accelerates as fast as the more powerful and heavier, and more expensive Prius, plus a more normal interior

[thoughtchallenge]

db98647- You should make a video on your Nova.

[db98647]

When I get around to getting a Digital Video Camera I just might.

Most of the mods are simple, the chip set and the roller cam assembly are the only major changes mods that are a bit beyond the average DIYer.

But what most people don't under stand about getting good mileage is retaining control of your vehicle. You have no control over your engine if you have an automatic.

With a manual you control the engine completely and can choose what gear your in, and thus control fuel consumption.

[OZilla612]

looks better than the prius!

[carfan2k2]

VTEC = EPIC WIN!!!

the rest = EPIC FAIL!!!

[hondaboii89]

Honda FTW! ^_^ (As Always!)

[quicksilverb1]

13 horses? that puts a shit load of pressure on the engine and raises the gas usuage if someone were to go on high way at 100 km/h

[JaySee5]

What the hell are you talking about?

[seph95]

lol he says the words "efficient" and "Hybrid" ALOT

[powematt]

How does a Geo metro in the 90's get almost 60 miles to the gallon on a gas only engine and a hybrid that runs on electricity alot of the time only get 41mpg? Aren't we digressing?

[JaySee5]

because the metro was a tiny hatchback with a 3 cylinder engine that weighed almost nothing. However, you are correct, hybrids are crap. Diesel is just as green and more economical until hydrogen or electric technology advances.

[jizzmonger]

No.

Metro/Swift is a 3 cylinder turd with no airbags, noisy and in a different emissions bracket than these newer cars.

Todays more stringent regulations actually reduce fuel economy.

[JaySee5]

Having no sound deadening and safety equipment is why 90's cars are lighter. However they were still fuel injected with catalytic converters, not much different from today. Make a car with a direct injected 3 cylinder without power anything and only 1 airbag and it could probably get at least 50 mpg.

[jizzmonger]

Meeting the NOx standards increases fuel consumption because it requires the manufacturer to run retarded ignition timing and a richer fuel mixture than they otherwise need to run.

[svingt]

i hope this beat out the prius in sales. Honda deserved the green award from the very beginning.

[seroyer2]

3 words, "buy a diesel." cool tech Honda always impressive.

Honda = innovation in engineering

ex:

1. asimo

2. Vtech

3. reliability of motors

[konascrap888]

ill give you 1 and 3, but vtech has to be the worst way to make up for an engine that has no low end power

[seroyer2]

Vtech has nothing to do with not having any low end power. the Idea of Vtech is that one cam acts as to different cams so you have a low speed and and a high speed cam in one. the reason for Vtech and why the motor have no low end is because the low speed cam is designed for good MPG and not power while the the high speed cam is made for power how you change this is to put a cam that is more aggressive on the low speed side.

[JaySee5]

1. It's VTEC

2. That's the original VTEC. i-VTEC is even more sophisticated. It continually varies the valve lift and timing.

3. VTEC was amazing. That's why everyone took the idea as soon as the patent wore off. Toyota calls it VVT, VVTL, VVTLi. BMW calls it VANOS just to name a few.

[jizzmonger]

i-vtec continuously varies timing.

It cannot continuous vary lift, lift is still varied in stages.

[JaySee5]

My mistake. Continuous variable lift is going to be implemented as Advanced VTEC in 2009 models.

[jizzmonger]

I don't think that is true either.

I see no practical way to continusous vary the lift of the valves while keeping the engine reliable.

[JaySee5]

Apparently BMWs been doing it for a while. Google "Advanced VTEC" and you'll find it's true.

[jizzmonger]

Advanced VTEC is the same as I-VTEC, it just adds more increments to valve timing.

Valve lift is still changed by locking/unlock different rocker arms together.

[EnigmaNZ1]

Another thing. Older cars were undersquare with a long stroke and 2 valves per cylinder, ideal for lots of torque in the lower speed range, then the power race resulted in todays oversquare high rev designs that would have been considered racing engines a couple of decades ago, with lots of power and toque but only if you rev it past 5000rpm in every gear. Those of us that don't wish to rev the hell out of our cars are stuck with torqueless wonders.

[Lambo6fo]

Made in Japan = BETTER

[jizzmonger]

"Made in Japan = BETTER"

~MOFO~

How do you figure?

[rs2p00nz]

4th comment!!!

[ironchopsticks]

honda makes great handling and durable cars.

[wbaussie1]

cool

[GOdupont24]

Honda continues to be the greenest car company in the World.

[jizzmonger]

"Honda continues to be the greenest car company in the World."

~Godu~

By not offering any full-size pick-ups or SUV's?

[andrew3112]

wow , thats impressive