The Honda Insight is competitive with the Toyota Prius in terms of loyalty among green vehicle fans. Honda went further to cement this reputation with a report on Insight mileage improvements at last week’s 2010 SAE Hybrid Vehicle Technologies Symposium. Honda representatives indicated that Insights using the new Eco Assist System could improve fuel mileage between 10% and 20% over 300 drives. This fuel mileage study was conducted on 5,000 selected Insights around the United States from February to August 2009.
The Eco Assist System and proprietary systems at other automakers are the wave of the future in green driving. This system allows a driver to switch on the system to save fuel or switch off the system to focus on vehicle power. When the Eco Assist System is activated, a display on the dashboard assesses the driver’s fuel mileage. Drivers using eco-friendly practices like gradual acceleration instead of constantly slamming on the brakes see green backgrounds on their fuel displays. This green display turns to blue as a driver exhibits behaviors that lead to reduced fuel mileage. Honda has also incorporated a rewards system whereby drivers earn up to five leaves on their displays for good driving behavior.
Honda Insight owners also get substantive help from the Eco Assist System in the constant battle for better fuel mileage. The Eco Assist System closely regulates fan speed and air conditioning use to reduce strain on the battery. The system also makes the stop/start feature initiate at shorter stops to conserve more fuel. Honda designed the Eco Assist System to work closely with the continuously variable transmission (CVT) and throttle to operate at peak efficiency by sacrificing a bit of power.
This report by Honda should prove to be beneficial beyond the 5,000 Insight owners in the test group. The introduction of the Eco Assist System in future hybrids will allow Honda to boost its green vehicle portfolio on a global scale. Instead of a prototype in need of widespread testing, Honda already has a significant group using the Eco Assist System with great results. If Honda can sidestep the crippling effects of recalls that have sent Toyota into a tailspin, the Eco Assist System could really be a game changer for the automaker. Even with a 10% fuel economy increase, the Honda Insight and its hybrid brethren would be leaps and bounds better than competing hybrids.
