Honda:Honda Insight hybrid was an "unmitigated disaster"

From looking at a few mpg tracking website i have to give the insight some credit, it costs thousands less and ends up getting about the same mpg.

 

I own an Insight, and I like it very much. With our Prius we barely get EPA mileage, but my Insight almost always beat EPA by 4-6mpg. Problem is, the Prius still beats the Insight, but not by 8-10 mpg, more like 2-5 mpg.

Tpfun is right, the Insight will run without the traction battery, but not for long. The car lacks an alternator, so the hybrid system provides the charge for the 12v battery. So, as soon as it discharges it will not be able to crank the car.

 

After 5 years, 80% of the capacity will be left. 80% of the original capacity is considered the "end of life".

 

yikes! Has Nissan actually said that, though, that they expect peeps will want to swap battery at 5 years? I imagine that's not the case. However, if it's down to 80% at 5 years by 10 years that battery will be surely worthless (if the drop in capacity is anything like other batteries out there it will drop off somewhat exponentially).

 

80% of the original capacity being end of life is the industrial standard. Nissan has 8 years / 100k miles battery warranty. They did not disclose at what remaining capacity the pack will be replaced under warranty. I don't think they said if the warranty will be pro-rated like the tires or a complete new pack.

 

Confirm.
Spritmonitor - Insight 5.53l/100 (42.5MPG)
Prius 5.24l/100 (44.8MPG)


So without the traction battery, the driver can really still drive the Insight.
And what about the ICE, can the Insight be driven without it, relying only on traction batt ?

 

tpfun, do you mind giving some answer to my questions?
After stating so much spinning around here, you should pay more attention to what people ask in this forum.

 

He's not here to share information, answer questions, or help people. He's here to make comments designed to annoy people, to get some sort of reaction from them. It's probably his particular sexual perversion, and we are all gratifying him by responding.

I find it amusing how a seemingly intelligent person can continually ignore requests for basic information (such as, have you driven a prius? have you driven a car? are you old enough to drive?) and it does lead me to believe that he is an angry teenager, with no car, no girlfriend and no job. But that's fine by me, it reminds me of that time in my life when i was that person, and makes appreciate where i am today a little more

 

Telmo,

What flamester said.
When the HV battery dies you -must- spend ~$1,000-$3000 to keep your vehicle on the road otherwise it becomes a paper weight.

 

Just to keep things in perspective a cookie to the first person who can state the percentage of Priuses on the road that have had to replace their batteries.

 

And your car is still worth $3k+.

If you have a 10 year old corolla with 200k on the clock, and the transmission goes, do you replace it? no, because even after a $1,000 transmission replacement the car is still only worth $500. so you throw the car away and spend $500 on a different piece of shit.

 

You did not answer my question directly.

Again, this time more easy: WHEN does a Prius need to change battery? Do you have a "due" date after production?

And when a HV battery dies, do I have to run to buy one, or it will "warn me" some days ahead, with a light in the dash, like a $ red warning?

 

Yep, tpfun's behavior seems to fit the definition at Troll (Internet) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia pretty well, the beginning of which currently reads

He also fits the definition given at What is a troll? - Knowledge Base which is one of the above entry's references. Some choice excerpts:

It still seems to me that he must either work for a Toyota competitor, competitor to one of its suppliers or have some other financial incentive to keep posting his crap.

 

I can't predict the future so I can't tell you.

No.

Whether red light flashes or not, the end result is still the same, spending $1000-3000 on a new battery otherwise the Prius becomes a dead paper weight.

 

That was not what I read in your post. You said it will need a battery.
Don't change subject, please.

You must have an idea of the end of life of a battery of this chemistry/SOC usage. Always informed, at least I thought you were.

I will start saving on fuel, that should give me a bright lead, doesn't it?
I have another idea: I'll take off the $ warning lamp!

 

Yeah, so, any electrified vehicle uses a traction battery.

There are dozens of hybrid vehicles on the road these days and more coming.

Spend some time reading about vehicle electrification at SAE

www.evsae.org

 

Understood. The context of the quote was comparing the mild IMA hybrid system with the HSD. The former uses the battery as an assist (braking and acceleration) while in the latter, the battery is a vital part of the drivetrain (the ICE can't drive the wheels by itself).

 

In relation to the bad sales of the Insight, Honda is crazy for not making a 6speed manual option! Surely transplanting the CR-Z's 6 speed manual transmission into the insight wouldn't be too hard? It gives the insight a great USP, it would open it up to a larger market, possibly improve economy and sales in Europe. Honda could also sell it for a cheaper price as well?

 

Nobody in the US wants a manual, though.

 

The only reason manuals are popular is because they're better on fuel, but with a hybrid you get manual diesel fuel economy in a petrol automatic.

I think Honda should leave the Insight an auto and leave the manual for the sportier CRZ.