The Honda Insight Heating and Air Conditioning (optional) achieves a balance between comfort for the passengers and fuel economy for the vehicle. This unique design allows the engine ECU and the IMA to control the auto(idle)-stop feature based upon various driving conditions and Heater and Air Conditioning climate control panel selections.

The climate control is thermostatically controlled. The driver simply selects the desired temperature, and the climate control system will automatically adjust the mixture of cold and hot air and fan speed to maintain this temperature. To do this, the climate control system makes use of an interior temperature sensor located below the stereo controls, and a sunlight sensor located on the dashboard at the base of the windshield.

Interaction with Idle Stop Mode

The driver can control whether air conditioning or idle stop mode should be given higher priority. When the climate control system is set in full-auto mode, idle stop will not take place if the system wishes to run the air conditioning compressor. When the climate control system is set to "Econ" mode, the system will function normally, except that idle stop will still take place if the cabin temperature has stabilized at the set temperature, possibly meaning that the air conditioning compressor to stop running for the duration of auto idle stop mode.

In addition to choosing between Econ and Auto mode, the driver can also leave the fan speed set to automatic mode, or set a specific fan speed. With automatic fan speed mode, the system will turn off the fan during idle stop mode. If a specific fan speed is set, the fan will continue to run at that speed during idle stop.

Rear Defroster

Heating grids for the rear defroster are installed in the main hatch window and the small vertical rear window. The rear defroster switch is located on the climate control panel. The system has two operating modes, automatic and manual:

• Automatic activation: If the outside temperature is below 0 C (32F), and the engine has not yet reached operating temperature, the heating grids will automatically activate. When automatically activated, the indicator lamp will not illuminate
• Manual activation: If manually activated, the timer will deactivate the grid after 25 minutes.

See also:

Micron Air Filtration System