Honda Insight Hybrid: Inexpensive to buy, very easy on fuel

After a week and nearly 400 miles in a new Honda Insight Hybrid, the most appropriate word I can find to describe it is “surprising.”

It is surprising that the Japanese manufacturer could bring hybrid technology to market so close to the price of a standard compact car and surprising that, along with its many virtues, it has a few vices that have not been typical of Hondas over the years.

Let’s start from the beginning.

As you approach the Insight, you might think that the car’s designers were guilty of grand theft auto for stealing the profile of Toyota’s hybrid Prius. The Insight has the same general shape and the same four doors plus a rear hatch. Then, again, you can’t deny that it also has a strong family resemblance to Honda’s own hydrogen-powered FCX Clarity.

In any case, there is one very important difference between Insight and Prius. The Insight is a compact, while the Prius has grown to mid-size. That means the Insight has room for four average-size adults (Honda claims five) and the rear-seat passengers will find headroom a bit pinched.

To achieve its EPA-rated fuel mileage of 40 mpg city/43 highway, Honda has employed an updated version of the Integrated Motor Assist system that first came to the United States in another Insight, a tiny-two seat coupe that maximized fuel efficiency (more than 50 mpg) at the expense of practicality.

In the new car it teams a 1.3-liter, 88-horsepower, four-cylinder engine with an electric motor sandwiched between engine and transmission that produces 13 horsepower. Together, they generate a total of 98 horsepower and 123 pound-feet of torque.

The power is dispatched to the front wheels through a continuously variable transmission.

The nickel-metal hydride battery pack and electronic unit fit under the rear cargo floor, leaving 16 cubic feet of cargo room. Fold the rear seatbacks into the floor and the cargo space jumps to 31 cubic feet.

Buyers interested strictly in the Insight’s fuel-sipping ability (which, no doubt, imost of them are) will not be disappointed. Driving with care, they probably won’t have much trouble exceeding the EPA figures.

I managed to average between 36 and 46 mpg, and I did not go to any extreme measures to exceed it. I did, however, make use of Honda’s built-in helpers.

On the left side of the instrument panel there is an “ECON” button. Push it in, as I did much of the time, and it modulates engine and transmission functions, minimizes air conditioner usage and maximizes the electric motor’s assist.

In addition, the speedometer’s background color changes from blue to green as the driver operates the Insight more efficiently and a score-card type leaf graphic reports the driver’s current-trip and lifetime fuel efficiency.

On the open road, with the ECON function on, I used the paddle shifters that come with the premium EX model to keep the Insight in its most fuel-efficient “seventh gear.” That didn’t leave me with a lot of passing power, but I managed to keep up with 75 mph traffic on New Jersey’s Garden State Parkway.

In urban and heavy traffic areas, I avoided the ECON button to take advantage of passing situations and found the Insight peppy enough for most situations

However, the continuously variable transmission brings out a raspiness in the four-cylinder powerplant that makes a driver want to avoid heavy acceleration whenever possible.

A couple of other surprises I couldn’t help but notice were a suspension that combined a rather harsh ride quality with mediocre handling, and electric steering that felt wooden and offered little feedback from the road. The front-disc/rear-drum brakes worked fine.

None of these faults is major in a car designed primarily for economical commuter travel, but they are surprising coming from Honda, which has built its reputation by building sharp responses and a sporty demeanor into its automobiles.

As always, Honda’s pricing is simple. The base LX is $19,800, the EX is $21,300 and the EX with navigation is $23,100. Delivery charges are extra. Before opting for the LX, prospective buyers should know that it is not available with cruise control and, more importantly, it lacks stability and traction control.

In addition to the standard features and navigation system, the top-of-the-line model I drove came with a comprehensive list of safety equipment; paddle shifters; stability and traction control; automatic climate control, six-speaker, 160-watt sound system with Ipod connectivity; Bluetooth hands-free phone connectivity; alloy wheels; and more.

While the Insight might not be one of the more exciting vehicles to drive, it accomplishes its primary mission –- superb fuel efficiency at a reasonable price – flawlessly.

During my time with the car, I sandwiched nearly 100 miles of urban and suburban driving between two 150-mile trips. With gas priced at $2.599, my fuel tab was less than $26.

Those numbers alone tell a pretty compelling story.

Toyota To Launch Hybrid Lift Truck

Toyota Industries Corporation (TICO) has revealed its plan to launch internal combustion hybrid lift truck, which is expected to enter the Japanese market in December 2009. The timeline for launching in the US is not yet decided.

Toyota Group claims that hybrid technology, Geneo-Hybrid 8,000 lb counterbalanced diesel lift truck come together with an electric motor, 2.5-liter diesel engine and nickel-metal hydride battery (NMHB).

According to Toyota the NMHB reduces fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 50%, while delivering the performance equivalent to conventional diesel-powered lift truck. NMHB does not require plug-in recharge as it gets recharged with the engine operation, making it available for multi-shift operations.

Company claims that Hybrid lift trucks provide economic benefits for customers due to lower fuel costs and improved environmental performance.

Ford Fusion Hybrid

Vital Stats

The 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid recently set a world record for mileage from a gasoline-powered, mid-sized sedan. Using fuel-efficient driving tips, a team of drivers averaged 81.5 miles per gallon - nearly doubling the vehicle's U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rating for fuel economy.

► Assembled in Mexico.

► New 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine (155 hp/136 lb.-ft. of torque) running the Atkinson cycle, mated to an electronically controlled continuously variable transmission (c-CVT).

► An added variable voltage converter boosts the voltage to the traction battery to operate the motor and generator more efficiently.

► Climate control system monitors cabin temperature and only runs the gas engine as needed to heat the cabin. It also includes an electric air conditioning compressor to further maximize engine use.

► Regenerative brake system captures energy normally lost through friction and stores it. Nearly 94 percent energy recovery is achieved by first delivering full regenerative braking followed by friction brakes during city driving.

Putting a plug-in hybrid car to the test

Experts say plug-in hybrids are likely to be the Next Big Thing in automobile technology. I wanted to see how they work in the real world.This would be a test: I’m a driver who never looks under the hood, hates spending money on cars and/or gasoline and can’t handle any automotive problem more complicated than adding Drygas to the tank.First came a neon-green 2006 Toyota Prius emblazoned with the Green Mountain Power emblem. It’s one of two the electric utility added to its fleet, spending $10,000-a-car to have a stock Prius hybrid modified by adding a big second battery. (Solar panels on the utility’s roof generate enough electricity to recharge the batteries.)

My first reaction when I turned on the car was like that of many new Prius owners: This thing isn’t working.No hum of a gasoline engine. Dead silence at every stop sign. I kept reaching for the starter button, assuming the car had stalled. Lesson One: An electric motor is silent. Unlike stock Priuses, the GMP car supposedly can travel up to 40 miles on electric power alone. For someone who lives in the center city, as I do, that could mean a lot of nearly all-electric driving.But in the four days I drove the car, it never came close to 40 miles of all-electric driving.I could watch the car’s computer monitor as the charge in the added battery dropped quickly. On day one, the battery ran out at about 17 miles. The car smoothly switched to running on its gasoline engine, assisted by the stock Prius battery. I was back to 50 miles a gallon instead of 100.
Learning the tricks As I learned the tricks of driving a hybrid, the battery took me somewhat longer distances. To keep the gasoline engine off, my right foot began to push more slowly on the gas pedal. Any sudden acceleration switched on the gasoline engine. As I drove Shelburne Road, I would push down gently on the accelerator, then let up so the car would glide.The Prius’ dashboard computer screen registered every little change, telling me my miles-per-gallon had plummeted from 99 mpg to just 12 when I tried to accelerate really fast.Jim Harding, a Green Mountain College professor who drove an identical plug-in Prius last year as part of a research project, found his driving style also changed.“You become hyper-aware of how you are using the vehicle because the feedback is so immediate and detailed. I found myself not pressing the accelerator as quickly as I would have, and coasting through turns,” he told me.Recharging the add-on battery was a snap. At bedtime each night, I plugged one end of an extension cord into an outlet on the back wall of our house. The other end fit a plug on the back end of the Prius. Red tail lights went on, alerting me that the battery was charging.
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When I came out in the morning, I unplugged and drove off.One morning I drove around Burlington, looking for places I could recharge during the day. The charging stations at City Market and the intersection of Church and Main worked fine. The three outdoor plugs on the waterfront were dead. Later, I learned that a number of Burlington parking garages have at least one plug-in station.Vermont-made plug-in After I returned the GMP hybrid, I borrowed a second one from EVermont, a nonprofit consortium that studies electric vehicles.This was definitely a homemade version. It had little quirks. The gasoline engine cycled off and on at stop signs, for no reason I could discern. The dashboard warning light was permanently on.“The car is still a work in progress,” research director Harold Garabedian said.Instead of adding a battery to the off-the-lot Prius, EVermont pulled out the car’s original battery and replaced it with one capable of being recharged from the electric grid.This battery was bigger than the one in the GMP Prius and it showed. I drove the car 30 miles one afternoon and still had juice in the battery. Garabedian said he’s gone as far as 50 miles relying mostly on the electric motor.Paradoxically, this car got better mileage on the highway than in the city, the opposite of most hybrids. That’s apparently because EVermont is still working out the bugs that turn on the gasoline engine at slow speeds, when it isn’t needed.
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Once on the open road, the electric motor carried me most of the way to Charlotte. My average miles per gallon soared to 74.3.Paying the price I loved driving both cars. They were quiet, I wasn’t burning much fossil fuel, my carbon footprint shrank, and I was using a cheaper fuel than gasoline.Charging the GMP Prius took 4½ hours one night. A special meter told me the car had drawn 5.23 kilowatt-hours of electricity.A call to Burlington Electric Department informed me that I pay 12.5 cents per kilowatt hour for my electricity (not including the customer service charge, which I pay however much juice I draw).Cost to power the Prius for a day: 65 cents, plus a few tablespoons of gasoline.Of course, that doesn’t include what it would cost me — north of $30,000 — to acquire a plug-in Prius.That’s the only reason I’m back today, driving my ordinary Honda Civic.Contact Candace Page at 660-1865 orcpage@bfp.burlingtonfreepress.com

When I came out in the morning, I unplugged and drove off.One morning I drove around Burlington, looking for places I could recharge during the day. The charging stations at City Market and the intersection of Church and Main worked fine. The three outdoor plugs on the waterfront were dead. Later, I learned that a number of Burlington parking garages have at least one plug-in station.Vermont-made plug-in After I returned the GMP hybrid, I borrowed a second one from EVermont, a nonprofit consortium that studies electric vehicles.This was definitely a homemade version. It had little quirks. The gasoline engine cycled off and on at stop signs, for no reason I could discern. The dashboard warning light was permanently on.“The car is still a work in progress,” research director Harold Garabedian said.Instead of adding a battery to the off-the-lot Prius, EVermont pulled out the car’s original battery and replaced it with one capable of being recharged from the electric grid.This battery was bigger than the one in the GMP Prius and it showed. I drove the car 30 miles one afternoon and still had juice in the battery. Garabedian said he’s gone as far as 50 miles relying mostly on the electric motor.Paradoxically, this car got better mileage on the highway than in the city, the opposite of most hybrids. That’s apparently because EVermont is still working out the bugs that turn on the gasoline engine at slow speeds, when it isn’t needed.

Once on the open road, the electric motor carried me most of the way to Charlotte. My average miles per gallon soared to 74.3.Paying the price I loved driving both cars. They were quiet, I wasn’t burning much fossil fuel, my carbon footprint shrank, and I was using a cheaper fuel than gasoline.Charging the GMP Prius took 4½ hours one night. A special meter told me the car had drawn 5.23 kilowatt-hours of electricity.A call to Burlington Electric Department informed me that I pay 12.5 cents per kilowatt hour for my electricity (not including the customer service charge, which I pay however much juice I draw).Cost to power the Prius for a day: 65 cents, plus a few tablespoons of gasoline.Of course, that doesn’t include what it would cost me — north of $30,000 — to acquire a plug-in Prius.That’s the only reason I’m back today, driving my ordinary Honda Civic.

Hyundai Blue-Will Hybrid Concept to Debut in Seoul

Hyundai hybrid uses Lithium Ion Polymer batteries

Hyundai has announced that it will be debuting a new plug-in hybrid concept car at the Seoul Auto Show called the Blue-Will. The car's design has some very unorthodox and interesting lines, and adds in green features other than the plug-in hybrid power train.

Hyundai reports that Blue-Will has a 1.6-liter, direct injected gasoline engine and a 100 kW electric motor in its parallel hybrid drive design. Electric power for the motor is stored inside lithium-ion polymer battery packs using the same technology that Kia is using in its Forte LPI DailyTech reported on yesterday. The Hyundai version of the Forte will be called the Elantra LPI Hybrid.

Among the green touches integrated into the Blue-Will concept are recycled PET soft drink bottles used to make the headlamp bezels and the use of organic plastics in the interior and engine cover. Organic plastics are made from plant extracts rather than fossil fuels.

Both the gas tank and the batteries used in the concept are placed under the rear seat to maximize cargo volume. The panoramic glass roof of the vehicle features dye sensitive solar panels that can generate electricity that is sent to the batteries without blocking the view out of the glass panels.

The official unveiling of the Blue-Will concept is set for April 2.

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2009 Lexus GS 450h

Econo-box traits at a premium price

Lexus has applied its trademark quality and high-tech to its middle-of-the line-up sedan with the GS (if you want to picture the available sedans as a flowchart in your mind, it would go: IS, ES, GS and LS)

My Autonet tester was the hybrid GS450h, which brings extra power to the platform along with decreased fuel consumption. The car can be had as a gasoline-only model as well, in RWD or all-wheel.

Search for a used Lexus GS

Wrapped in characteristically understated outward design - don’t get me wrong, it’s not an unpleasant looking car, it just doesn’t grab your attention - the 450h competes well against Euro-lux brands with a package of superior build quality, fit-and-finish and high end electronics.

Under the hood, the 450 combines a 3.5 litre gasoline V6 with the maker’s Hybrid Synergy drive system (from parent company Toyota) to pull together sporty performance and cleaner emissions than a similarly-displaced gasoline model.

It brings a combined output of 339 horsepower to the vehicle (along with 267 lb.-ft. of torque) that allows the 450h to reach cruising and passing speeds in a blink; and the powertrain can be sharpened further with selectable driving modes.

Operated by switches mounted on the center console near the shifter, the driving modes modify how the engine’s torque is put to the wheels. Choices are “snow” mode for slippery conditions, “normal” for everyday use, and “power” mode, which turns the car into a responsive and racy machine.

The ponies are channelled through a CVT, which shows none of the “lag” that dogs some continuously variable trannies; and while it’s not a manumatic, the shifter can be used to provide engine braking with six levels of downshift.

The suspension can be tailored to a driver’s taste in similar fashion as well, with a “sport” option that tightens up the car noticeably in quick turns and on winding roads (it will also make the ride harsher, obviously) and works with the variable gear ratio power steering to keep the driving experience enjoyable and engaging.

In any of its custom modes, steering in the GS is very good, providing responsive feedback and a feel of confidence through the wheel; and all the power is backstopped with very good braking.

There is a host of other onboard features, as you would expect from a car at this price - intelligent cruise control, backup camera and parking assist, and obstacle detection via front and rear mounted sensors, among others.

The interior of any GS is an opulent affair of leather seating surfaces and flawless quality components. The dash is a clean and uninterrupted flow, featuring a prominent multi-function display screen at top-center, with tastefully conceived backlighting for all gauges and switchgear.

It’s a tight cabin, though, and Lexus has reduced clutter by hiding a number of the car’s less-used functions (adaptive headlight controls, side mirror adjuster, park assist switch) in a pop-out compartment to the left of the steering wheel.

Interior space is the only complaint I can muster about the GS, the car is skimpy on headroom, particularly with the power sunroof. In both front and rear seats, the ceiling feels a bit too close to passenger’s heads and I found I had to lean the driver’s seat back farther than I like in order to keep my head from touching it.

That aside, the cockpit is mighty quiet and the ride extremely smooth, particularly in normal-suspension mode. The test vehicle was equipped with a Mark Levinson sound package (part of the “Ultra premium” option package that also added a backup sensor, DVD navigation system and added six grand to the price tag).

Stereo and nav system were operated through the multifunction display, and the large touch-screen interface is relatively easy to understand and use without cracking the owner’s manual.

The display can be turned off as well, which is a good thing, as it defaults to a large diagram displaying how the hybrid system is operating when you don’t have it in navigation mode.

Naturally, hybrid fuel economy will be at its best in city driving, where the GS450 can maximize its gas-sipping by turning off the V6 engine when stopped at lights. The GS will also operate on electric power alone, at low speeds.

I put a lot of highway kilometres on the tester and found that even with the gasoline engine engaged for most of my time in it, the car still managed a respectable average of 10.0 litres per 100 km.

The GS450h is available basically as one well-equipped trim, with a few option packages available to further round out the trappings of luxury; and it comes with a fairly steep MSRP (it is obviously positioned against similar sedans from Germany but not so much against lower priced North American offerings like Cadillac’s CTS, which offers similar performance numbers and overall size).

AUTOSHOW-Nissan aims to launch luxury diesel hybrid in 2010

GENEVA, March 3 (Reuters) - Nissan Motor Co (7201.T) unveiled on Tuesday a concept car under its Infiniti luxury brand that it plans to adapt for production as a hybrid car twinned with a diesel engine for the European market next year.

Japan's third biggest automaker unveiled the Essence concept, a sporty coupe equipped with luggage in the trunk custom-designed by Louis Vuitton (LVMH.PA), at the week-long Geneva International Motor Show which opened on Tuesday.

The concept car is fitted with Nissan's proprietary hybrid system that twins a 3.7-litre, turbocharged V6 petrol engine.

But a Nissan spokeswoman said Nissan's priority for the European market was to launch a production version of the car with a V6 diesel hybrid system in what could be one of the world's first cars to hybridise a diesel engine.

Nissan gave no indication of the car's price range. A diesel hybrid would theoretically be more fuel-efficient than a petrol hybrid but is more expensive to build.

"Customers willing to pay for a diesel hybrid would be in the luxury segment," the spokeswoman said.

Toyota Motor Corp's (7203.T) Lexus luxury brand is also due to unveil a new hybrid car, the RX450h, at the Geneva show. (Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim; Editing by Greg Mahlich)