Honda Insight: Powerhouse Museum's New Green Star

TULLAMARINE, AUSTRALIA – June 11, 2009: The first production hybrid vehicle to be sold in Australia was the first-generation Honda Insight – and it is the newest attraction at Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum.

The Honda Insight display is located in the museum’s permanent exhibition ‘EcoLogic: creating a sustainable future’.

The EcoLogic exhibition highlights how our lifestyles and industries can change to avoid damage to ecosystems and provides innovative ways to redirect our economy and society towards sustainability. It also focuses on what Australians can do for the future of the planet and demonstrates how smart ideas and environmental design can make a difference.

The first-generation Honda Insight deserves its place in this exhibition not only because it was the first hybrid vehicle to be sold in Australia; it is the result of over 25 years of research and development by Honda engineers into fuel efficiency and low emissions.

The Honda Insight was launched in Australia in 2001 and was the world’s most fuel efficient petrol powered car at the time. It featured Honda’s Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) petrol-electric engine that produced 2.8 litres per 100km highway cycle and 3.6 litres per 100km city cycle.

The one litre lean-burn VTEC engine was assisted by an ultra thin DC brushless motor. Honda’s IMA system employed the electric motor to assist as engine load increased. When maximum acceleration was required the electric motor would contribute as much as 10 kilowatts, reducing fuel consumption and boosting acceleration.

The electric motor assist was deactivated when the vehicle was cruising and when the driver accelerated again, IMA instantaneously restarted the electric motor to provide power assistance. Energy released as heat during deceleration was recovered and used to recharge the IMA batteries. The energy was then used for the next motor assist cycle. IMA also helped reduce fuel consumption when the vehicle was stationary by automatically shutting down the engine.

This revolutionary technology was used as the basis for today’s Honda Civic Hybrid, Australia’s most affordable hybrid vehicle.

The second-generation Honda Insight was launched in Japan in February 2009 and became the first hybrid vehicle in Japan’s history to be the biggest selling vehicle in the month of April – an outstanding achievement. It is due to hit Australian shores in late 2010.

Don’t miss the Honda Insight at the Powerhouse Museum, 500 Harris Street Ultimo, Sydney. Admission to the museum is $10 for adults, $5 for children and $25 for the whole family.