Submit Your Questions for Honda’s Chief Engineer About Hybrid Cars
I will have the opportunity to interview Honda Chief Engineer Mr. Yoshio Yamamoto this Saturday. If you have any questions about Honda’s hybrid cars, post them below!
I met Mr. Yamamoto today while visiting the Honda booth at the Eco-Products 2008 Exhibition. Displayed was the new Honda Insight concept, which is close to the production model. I loved driving my 2000 Honda Insight and am excited about the next generation. Mr. Yamamoto and Assistant Product Manager Mr. Hatano were happy to hear from a former first generation Insight owner.
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I agree with Nick Chambers that the new Insight Concept resembles the Prius, but I also thought that the second generation Prius was similar to the first generation Insight.
Mr. Yamamoto agreed to an interview this Saturday. He is the Chief Engineer and is greatly involved with the development of Honda hybrids. He is willing to explain general hybrid technologies and development, but won’t be able to divulge specific details.
So, if you have any questions or requests, please let me know by posting below this article. I plan on asking him about the CRZ hybrid and letting him know that I want a FR compact hybrid coupe. I’ll bring your questions along as well. I will check here again around noon PST on the 12th.
Thanks Tetsuya for giving this opportunity!
I’m really interested to know about plans for diesel hybrids. I have heard from some sources that diesel engines are less beneficial in hybrid configuration because they are less apt to sudden changes in RPM which is often required of a hybrid engine.
I’d also be interested to hear his views on the decision of Honda to withdraw from Formula 1 and sell its team last week. It seemed that the implementation of hybrid technologies within the F1 rules would provide an ideal testing and innovation ground for manufacturers to develop this technology. Will Honda miss an opportunity here, or is there little cross development between racing and road applications?
Thanks very much once again!
Is it possible to make a diesel hybrid?
Isn’t it more effiecient to have an electric-only drive system and a gas generator (to eliminate the drive train inefficiencies)?
When will Honda bring diesel Civics to the US?
Mr. Yokoyama,
Thank you so much for allowing us to submit questions for Mr. Yamamoto. He is one of the most important and influential engineers anywhere in the automobile industry.
What is the model year of the new Insight? I see 2010 all over the place, but it says 2009 on Honda’s Insight website.
How much does the new Insight weigh?
Is there any aluminum or plastic bodywork (eg. hood or fenders?)
What is the cofficient of drag (old Insight was 0.25)?
Does the new Insight have a spare tire?
Does the Insight’s driver seat offer height adjustment like the Civic? With the high-mounted speedometer like the Civic, height adjustment could be necessary for short drivers around the world.
How could Takeo Fukui’s assertion that the gas mileage will only approximate the Civic Hybrid’s numbers be true if this car is lighter and more aerodynamic?
Why do the wheels and door handles look so much less aerodynamic than on the old Insight? Do they actually reduce the coefficient of drag?
In the summer my Insight gets 70 mpg but now that the temperature is below freezing, I’m getting only 45-50 mpg. Has Honda addressed this disparity in the new Insight? I realize the EPA doesn’t give any bonus points for cold weather performance, but averaging 60 mpg all year long would save more gas than 70/45.
How is the Eco Assist display better than the brilliantly simple Fuel Consumption Display bargraph in the original Insight? Was the blue/green shift in the speedometer background tested with color-blind drivers?
Would Honda consider creating an extra-cost “HX” version of the new Insight with fender skirts, disc wheels, flush door handles, video mirrors, in-windshield radio antenna, more aggressive air dam, etc. for fanatic hypermilers like me? Now that Toyota is delaying the new Prius until after Honda releases the new Insight so they can dial-in better gas mileage to stay on top of the EPA fuel economy list, the HX strategy would seem to make sense.
My question:
I’d like to know how the new Insight’s IMA hybrid system will function in slow, stop-&-go traffic: Will the gasoline engine stay on throughout the go-slow process? Or will it cycle ON & OFF, starting up every time the driver steps off the brake? Or can it stay in only-electric mode at low speed, up to a threshhold speed when the engine starts?
I’m a very happy Civic owner - like the solid car and I cannot find a car that gets better highway mileage.
I would like to know if/when Honda can get to 100mpg for highway mileage. Even with gas prices lower, I’m a little weary of sending so much $$$ to the Middle East for oil.
Having said that, I don’t really care how we get there - gas, diesel, hybrid - whatever it takes.
Does Honda have a timeline for when they can break 100 mpg?
What sort of obstacles are there that make this difficult?
It seems that most cars top out around 35 mpg - is this due to a hard barrier, or do the car manufacturers suffer from group-think?
I’ve also heard that there is a tradeoff between horsepower and efficiency.
Is Honda looking at a way that the driver could decide on which is more important?
For example, I would love to select efficiency for the highest mileage most of the time - but I would like the option to choose horsepower if I need to get out of the way of a truck.
Also, I live in the snow-belt in Ohio - could I be part of the testing program for new cars?
Will there be a manual transmission available?
Will the battery pack and associated components have the same extended warranty as on my 2001 Insight?
I have a new Insight on order in R.I. I bought a new Insight in 1999. Still drive it and love it. My question(s)
1. Will the new Insight use an all electric A/C compressor?
2. Will you use the prizmatic NiMH modules like the GM 2 mode or stay with round cells?
3. Will the New Insight have an electric mode like the Gen II Civic HEV?
4. Will the Rankine Cycle system (explained at SAE Congress) be used?
5. How much aluminum is used for the body?
Hope there is time for all this.
Will it be a FFV?
How do they determine the body styles of their new vehicles?
Im a big believer in renewables/green tech/etc., however when it comes to electric vehicles, I keep hearing the same question over and over…
Generally speaking, how do you justify electric cars as clean / emission free cars when they use up electricity generated from coal fired plants?