SA: Honda gets approval for first hybrid car

AAP General News (Australia)
02-13-2001
SA: Honda gets approval for first hybrid car

By Tim Dornin, National Motoring Correspondent

ADELAIDE, Feb 13 AAP - The federal government has approved Australia's first "hybrid"

car which will go on sale next month.

The transport department has given full-volume compliance plate approval for the Honda
Insight, the passenger car which runs on a combination of petrol and electric power.

The approval means the Japanese-built car will be available to Australian buyers from
March 5, although the price is yet to be disclosed.

It also means Honda has beaten rival Toyota to the local market with a hybrid model
even though local Toyota officials have been working on the introduction of the Prius,
a similar vehicle, for several years.

Honda said today the Insight had met all Australia's stringent design rules, the first
hybrid car to do so.

The company said the car used less than half the fuel of a conventional small car,
thanks to its petrol-electric drive train, lightweight body and advanced aerodynamics.

"According to official Australian standard fuel consumption figures, the Insight sips
just 3.6 litres per 100 kilometres in city driving, compared with the Toyota Corolla's
eight litres and the Ford Falcon's 11.5 litres," Honda said.

"On the open road, the Insight achieves a remarkable 2.8 litres per 100 kilometres."

The Insight is powered by a three-cylinder petrol engine which is linked to an electric
motor operating in parallel.

Electricity for the motor is stored in a 144-volt nickel-metal hydride battery pack
and controlled via an advanced electronic power control unit.

The battery pack is constantly recharged by heat energy redirected from the brakes.

Although not expected to sell in large number the Insight will attract attention from
governments and local councils keen to show they are doing the right thing for the environment
with their vehicle-buying policies.

Toyota's Prius was also welcomed as an important step forward by state and federal
governments when the company brought several cars to Australia for evaluation in 1998.

Since its launch in Japan in December 1997 Toyota has sold more than 50,000 Prius cars
around the world.

The original car was upgraded in May last year to improve acceleration and further
cut fuel emissions and consumption.

As well as Honda and Toyota, local car producer Holden has also investigated the hybrid
concept and last year developed a petrol-electric version of its popular Commodore in
conjunction with the CSIRO.

However the company said the car was a concept model only and it had no immediate plans
to put it into production.

AAP tjd/ns/br

KEYWORD: MOTOR HONDA

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