More info released on the new Honda Insight
22 Jan 2009|4,754 views
Honda first marketed the original Insight Hybrid in 1999 and has been working on the technology for almost two decades.
One decade on, Honda is launching a new Insight that takes those core principles and extends them, allowing a customer to carry their family and luggage in an efficient, flexible and affordable vehicle.
Honda wanted to make a hybrid car that was more affordable. The result is a five-door hatchback petrol-electric driven car that has a combined fuel consumption rating of just 4.4 l/100km. It designed with form and function in mind, and also takes styling cues from the FCX Clarity.
Where will the Insight be built?
The Insight will be produced at Honda's Suzuka factory in Japan where a new hybrid motor production line has been added to double the motor production capacity.
Chassis
The Insight chassis is newly designed, but in the quest to produce an affordable car with compact dimensions, it is based on components used for the latest Jazz - and as such, it shares some components (suspension brakes and steering) and characteristics with the supermini. From the starting point of Jazz, engineers devised a package that accommodates the hybrid system, provides space for adults to sit in comfort and allows room for the impressive load space.
The structure of the engine compartment and front section of the car is almost identical to Jazz, with some minor alterations to aid crash protection, but behind the front bulkhead the platform is unique to Insight. The wheelbase is 2550mm (50mm longer than that of the Jazz).
Upon this platform, front and rear suspension from the Jazz are used, which means MacPherson struts at the front, and an H-shaped torsion beam at the rear to keep the load floor low, increasing luggage capacity inside.
Dynamically, the goal was to achieve pliant, but stable handling performance in a range of conditions and on a mixture of road surfaces.
Engine, motor and transmission
Honda's IMA hybrid system concept is now 10 years old - having made its debut in the original Insight back in 1999. IMA stands for Integrated Motor Assist, which consists of a low-friction 1.3-litre engine that serves as the primary power source, an ultra-thin electric motor, a lightweight and compact battery with a continuously variable transmission.
This system has been used successfully in not only the Insight, but also the Civic IMA, and its successor, the Civic Hybrid. Over the years the system has evolved and become smaller, more lightweight and less expensive to produce, and the latest version in the new Insight is the most advanced IMA technology introduced by Honda to date. The fifth generation IMA system in the Insight is 24 percent more compact than the fourth generation system freeing up space for luggage.
The engine itself is new, but is based heavily on the 1.3-litre from the Civic Hybrid. This modified i-VTEC unit from the Civic Hybrid has been further enhanced with lessons learned from the Jazz incorporated to improve fuel economy.
The low friction, pattern coated piston design has been combined with a new catalyst design to further optimise this already highly efficient power unit. These measures along with a further stabilised combustion process give a fuel economy improvement for the engine alone of 2 percent on what is already a highly-efficient unit.
During deceleration, when the engine's cylinders have no load on them and so combustion in all four cylinders is stopped and each pot is sealed shut. This virtually eliminates the pumping losses, decreasing resistance to allow the motor/generator to operate more efficiently and increase energy recovery to charge the battery.
The technology used to shut the cylinders, VCM (for Variable Cylinder Management), is also used to shut all four cylinders when only little torque is required - during low speed cruising for example. In this mode the Insight is powered by the electric motor only, with the pistons running idle.
In addition, virtually everything possible has been done to the engine to reduce friction, including an offset crankshaft/connecting rod design, plateau honing of the cylinders for a smoother surface and a second low friction piston ring.
On its own, the engine produces 88 hp and 121 Nm of torque, but the key to hybrid systems is the support given by the electric motor that can help boost performance as well as keep emissions and fuel consumption to a minimum.
Honda first marketed the original Insight Hybrid in 1999 and has been working on the technology for almost two decades.
One decade on, Honda is launching a new Insight that takes those core principles and extends them, allowing a customer to carry their family and luggage in an efficient, flexible and affordable vehicle.
Honda wanted to make a hybrid car that was more affordable. The result is a five-door hatchback petrol-electric driven car that has a combined fuel consumption rating of just 4.4 l/100km. It designed with form and function in mind, and also takes styling cues from the FCX Clarity.
Where will the Insight be built?
The Insight will be produced at Honda's Suzuka factory in Japan where a new hybrid motor production line has been added to double the motor production capacity.
Chassis
The Insight chassis is newly designed, but in the quest to produce an affordable car with compact dimensions, it is based on components used for the latest Jazz - and as such, it shares some components (suspension brakes and steering) and characteristics with the supermini. From the starting point of Jazz, engineers devised a package that accommodates the hybrid system, provides space for adults to sit in comfort and allows room for the impressive load space.
The structure of the engine compartment and front section of the car is almost identical to Jazz, with some minor alterations to aid crash protection, but behind the front bulkhead the platform is unique to Insight. The wheelbase is 2550mm (50mm longer than that of the Jazz).
Upon this platform, front and rear suspension from the Jazz are used, which means MacPherson struts at the front, and an H-shaped torsion beam at the rear to keep the load floor low, increasing luggage capacity inside.
Dynamically, the goal was to achieve pliant, but stable handling performance in a range of conditions and on a mixture of road surfaces.
Engine, motor and transmission
Honda's IMA hybrid system concept is now 10 years old - having made its debut in the original Insight back in 1999. IMA stands for Integrated Motor Assist, which consists of a low-friction 1.3-litre engine that serves as the primary power source, an ultra-thin electric motor, a lightweight and compact battery with a continuously variable transmission.
This system has been used successfully in not only the Insight, but also the Civic IMA, and its successor, the Civic Hybrid. Over the years the system has evolved and become smaller, more lightweight and less expensive to produce, and the latest version in the new Insight is the most advanced IMA technology introduced by Honda to date. The fifth generation IMA system in the Insight is 24 percent more compact than the fourth generation system freeing up space for luggage.
The engine itself is new, but is based heavily on the 1.3-litre from the Civic Hybrid. This modified i-VTEC unit from the Civic Hybrid has been further enhanced with lessons learned from the Jazz incorporated to improve fuel economy.
The low friction, pattern coated piston design has been combined with a new catalyst design to further optimise this already highly efficient power unit. These measures along with a further stabilised combustion process give a fuel economy improvement for the engine alone of 2 percent on what is already a highly-efficient unit.
During deceleration, when the engine's cylinders have no load on them and so combustion in all four cylinders is stopped and each pot is sealed shut. This virtually eliminates the pumping losses, decreasing resistance to allow the motor/generator to operate more efficiently and increase energy recovery to charge the battery.
The technology used to shut the cylinders, VCM (for Variable Cylinder Management), is also used to shut all four cylinders when only little torque is required - during low speed cruising for example. In this mode the Insight is powered by the electric motor only, with the pistons running idle.
In addition, virtually everything possible has been done to the engine to reduce friction, including an offset crankshaft/connecting rod design, plateau honing of the cylinders for a smoother surface and a second low friction piston ring.
On its own, the engine produces 88 hp and 121 Nm of torque, but the key to hybrid systems is the support given by the electric motor that can help boost performance as well as keep emissions and fuel consumption to a minimum.
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