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Thanks to Eric Smith and an Arduino microcontroller the world's only diesel powered Honda Insight is now the world's only diesel hybrid Honda Insight. The hybrid side of the vehicle is now fully functional. Auto stop, regenerative braking, and electric assist all function the same as they did in the Insight before we swapped engines.
The electric assist makes the car a much better driving vehicle especially in NW Washington where there are substantial hills. The gear ratios of the Insight are pretty long and the diesel was tuned to keep the turbo out of the equation until approximately 2000 RPM so climbing hills was tough without the electric assist. With the assist it's like having the turbo available right off idle without sacrificing fuel economy.
The jury is still out on how much of an improvement the hybrid side of the vehicle makes to fuel mileage. This week (week of 14SEP09) I'm heading down to The World of Speed (Bonneville) to see what the car will do flat out. Over the 900 mile transit there will be ample opportunity to gather some data. Keep an eye out for the results as well as another video or two featuring the Insight 1G (1 gallon/100 miles).
Best wishes,
Jake
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