| Category:
Appearance Questions |
| Question
[Submitted by] |
Suggested
Answer |
Can
you take the wheel covers off?
[Richard A Poedtke] |
"Yes,
but you'll lose mileage, and it will look strange." |
Is
that (pointing to the round thing in the front bumper) where
they hid the plug?
[Gary / Judith Anderson] |
"There's
a hook that screws in under that cover that is for winching
the car. You never actually plug in the car; it charges
itself." |
| Category:
Hybrid / Electric Questions |
| Question
[Submitted by] |
Suggested
Answer |
Isn't
it hard on the starter when it shuts off at lights?
[Andrew Batiuk] |
"No,
it doesn't actually use a normal starter motor to restart.
Instead it uses the same powerful electric motor that helps
to propel the car." |
Does
it take long to charge?
[Daniel Curran] |
(See
answer to question "Where do you plug it in?",
below.) |
What
kinda mileage do you get?
[Daniel Curran] |
"Over
the time I've owned the car, average mpg has been ..." |
Does
it have good pick-up?
[Daniel Curran] |
"Overall
0-60 time is 10.5 seconds. Because the electric motor has
so much torque, it has very good pick-up in 1st and 2nd
gears. Passing time on the highway is pretty good, but it's
designed to be shifted down to 3rd for that sort of thing." |
How
long will the battery last?
[Daniel Curran] |
"The
battery has an 8 year warranty, but Honda has unofficially
said that it should last the life of the car." |
Where
is the battery?
[Daniel Curran] |
"Behind
the passenger seat." |
So,
the engine runs all the time?
[Daniel Curran] |
"No.
Most of the time when you're coasting, decelerating or standing
still, the gasoline engine is not burning any gas."
(For those who
want to know more, you can let them know that "When
you're coasting or decelerating, it enters a mode where
fuel supply and spark are turned off. Then when you stop,
the engine totally stops moving, so that instead of idling
and burning gas, you sit in peace & quiet.") |
How
far can you go on a charge?
[Gary / Judith Anderson] |
"How
far you can go is only limited by how much gas you have
in the tank. It can achieve 600-700+ miles on a tank of
gas." |
When
does it use gas vs. electric power?
[Brian Pirie] |
"The
gas engine is used when you're accellerating & at cruising
speed. It also charges the battery pack if its charge
level gets too low. The electric motor is used when you're
accellerating, and operates as a generator to recharge the
batteries when you're slowing down or braking." |
When
does the gas engine kick in?
[Gary / Judith Anderson] |
(See
above) |
How
does it compare to the 'Saturn electric car' (GM
EV-1)?
[Gilbert Delgado] |
"They're
similar in that both cars are designed for very low aerodynamic
drag, are built on aluminum monocoque bodies, have advanced
powertrain technology and offer NiMH battery technology.
They're different in that the EV-1 is a pure battery-electric
car that is plugged in to charge, while the Insight is a
hybrid gas/electric that charges itself. The Insight is
also a lot cheaper than the EV-1." |
I
bet now you can't afford to plug it in.
(In light of California's current energy crunch.)
[Jim Gessling] |
- |
How
does it know when to switch from gas to battery?
[Marcie Jones] |
(See
above) |
Where
do you plug it in?
[Marcie Jones] |
"You
don't. It charges itself by operating the electric motor
as a generator to slow you down when you're braking. If
the battery level gets too low, it will also charge the
battery from the gasoline engine." |
How
do you stop if the electric motor fails?
[Brian Pirie] |
"It
still has normal brakes." |
| Category:
Size / Comfort Questions |
| Question
[Submitted by] |
Suggested
Answer |
Its
a 2 seater?
[Daniel Curran] |
- |
Not
much storage space, huh?
[David Lasater] |
"That
depends what you want to carry. It definitely isn't a pickup
truck. It works great for me, I carry ..." |
Is
it comfortable for long trips?
[Richard A Poedtke] |
"Yes" |
Is
it loud?
[Richard A Poedtke] |
"Only
on a tar and gravel road." |
You're
really tall. Can you fit in there?
[Richard A Poedtke] |
"Yup.
There's lots of legroom and headroom." |
| Category:
Performance / Handling Questions |
| Question
[Submitted by] |
Suggested
Answer |
How
does it handle?
[Andrew Batiuk] |
- |
How
much horsepower?
[Daniel Curran] |
"76
horsepower. It's designed to be light so that it doesn't
need a large, high horsepower engine to go fast." |
How
fast does it go?
[David Lasater] |
"Top
speed is about 115 mph." |
Does
it really get 70mpg?
[David Lasater] |
"Depending
on the conditions, it can be quite a bit higher. I saw a
poll on the internet (InsightCentral.net) of about 70 owners
about their combined city/highway average. The overall average
was 63 mpg. " |
Does
it drag parts over bumps in the road?
[Richard A Poedtke] |
"No" |
| Category:
Purchasing Questions |
| Question
[Submitted by] |
Suggested
Answer |
Where
can I get one?
[Andrew Batiuk] |
"Place
an order at your nearest Honda dealer." |
Oh
its Stick! Is there an automatic?
[Daniel Curran] |
"Currently
the automatic is only available in Japan. Honda will start
offering an automatic in U.S. in April." [CVT Insight
is now available.] |
Is
there a waiting list?
[Daniel Curran] |
"There
was when it first came out, but not in most areas now." |
What
other colors does it come in?
[Daniel Curran] |
"The
three choices are Silver, Blue & Red" |
| Category:
General Questions |
| Question
[Submitted by] |
Suggested
Answer |
| What
are the advantages / disadvantages of the Insight? |
"Advantages:
Low smog-producing emssions, low greenhouse gas production,
energy efficient, save money on gas, lessens demand on foriegn
oil supplies, lots of fun to drive
Disadvantages: It will only carry
two people." |
Does
it take regular gas?
[Daniel Curran] |
"Yes" |
How
did you get your hands on a concept car?
(From an SAE meeting discussing alternative
fuel vehicles ... I own number 105)
[Darrell Porter] |
- |
What's
the longest trip you've taken it on?
[David Lasater] |
- |
Do
you like driving it?
[Michelle] |
- |
| Category:
Just Plain Strange / Funny Questions |
| Question
[Submitted by] |
Suggested
Answer |
Do
ya have an extenshun kord for that thing? (Texas only)
[Marcie Jones] |
- |
Is
this like solar or something?
[Michelle] |
- |
Can
you have sex in it?
[Richard A Poedtke] |
"A
friend of mine worked out details of how this could be done." |
From
a guy who jumped in front of me, in a mall lot, arms waving:
"What kinda car izzat?"
[Richard A Poedtke] |
- |
