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Honda Insight Hybrid
The Honda Insight is
a 2-seater hatchback hybrid automobile manufactured
by Honda. It was the first mass-produced hybrid
automobile sold in the United States, introduced
in 1999 (in Japan, however, the first generation
of the Toyota Prius was launched in 1997).
According to the EPA, the 5-speed manual transmission
variant of the Insight is the most fuel-efficient
mass-produced automobile sold in the United
States.1 The Insight is also one of the cleanest:
the CARB rated the 5-speed variant ULEV and
the CVT variant SULEV. This trade off is due
to the 5-speed's lean-burn ability which increases
efficiency at the expense of slightly higher
Carbon monoxide(CO) emissions.
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 engine and a brushless electric
motor located on the crankshaft. 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.
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