Honda Insight Wins Green Car Award

By: Andy Hodges
Staff Writer
Published: Jun 21, 2009

Articles - Honda Insight Named Green Car of the Year

The Honda Insight has been named Green Car of the Year 2009 by the Environmental Transport Association (ETA) The 2010 Insight Hybrid is a family-sized hybrid car that was released earlier this year. The least green car was found to be the 8-litre Dodge SRT-10 sports car which, if driven for a year, was said to emit the same amount of carbon dioxide absorbed by 322 mature trees.

"The discrepancy between the greenest and the least green cars in Britain today is striking, but the market is changing and a combination of consumer pressure alongside government leadership will result in an increasing choice of environmentally-sound cars," Environmental Transport Association director Andrew Davis said in a statement.

The 2010 Honda Insight was just one of 1,300 hybrid cars examined by the ETA. The Honda Hybrid emits just 101 grams of carbon dioxide per one kilometre (101g/k). The vehicles were rated for their power, emissions, fuel efficiency and the amount of noise they produce.

Honda provides new interactive features on its dashboard display to help drivers achieve better fuel economy and lower emissions. The dashboard will change background colors to help coach the driver on green scoring. The gauges show plant-leaf graphics and a scoring function which is designed to provide feedback to the driver.

Honda Insight dashboard is a two-tier instrument panel that is also known as a Multi-Information Display (MID). This will provide the driver with data on average fuel consumption, cabin and exterior temperature and current mileage. The display is part of Honda's Eco-Assist that has an Eco Guide to provide feedback on braking and acceleration to help with driving efficiency.

The Honda Hybrid is powered by an advanced 1.3-liter SOHC engine. It has a system that incorporates a 10-kilowatt (13 hp) electric motor and a compact Intelligent Power Unit (IPU). This technology recaptures and capture's kinetic energy from the vehicle braking system.

The Honda Insight is one of the best selling hybrid cars for 2009.