Got a new UFO*: 2000 Honda Insight 5-speed (ailing IMA hybrid battery pack)

[MetroMPG]

Spring's here! (Actually, it seems like summer is here... very, very early.)

The Metro/Firefly's exhaust system self-destructed on the weekend, so I'm using this opportunity to press the U.F.O. back into servce so I can stick the Flea in the garage and repair it at my leisure.

I still haven't finished the grid trickle charger for the Insight's battery pack, and since the pack has not been used since the pack refurbishing process ended 6 weeks ago. I'm reluctant to put the pack into use with 6 weeks of self-discharge on it.

So, sadly, I'll be switching the IMA breaker "OFF" for the first trip of the year (Wed). That will surely motivate me to finish it up.

[nemo]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Spring's here! I'm reluctant to put the pack into use with 6 weeks of self-discharge on it.

So, sadly, I'll be switching the IMA breaker "OFF" for the first trip of the year (Wed). That will surely motivate me to finish it up.

What would be a reasonable amount of time the battery pack could sit without recharging, assuming a full charge at the onset?

[MetroMPG]

I suppose it depends on how well balanced the cells/subpacks in the battery are. If they're new and have similar self-discharge rates, then you could leave it sitting for a much longer time before it caused any problems, since the car itself would re-charge the subpacks to a similar level on its own when you resume driving.

The problem is when the subpacks begin to drift away from one another in capacity & self-discharge rates. (Like this car's old pack. Have a look at my refurbishing data spreadsheet: Columns W & X give you an idea of how much my subpacks self-discharge over 1 & 7 days respectively: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/...hl=en_US#gid=0 )

I can't find the reference now, but I thought I read somewhere that Honda recommends starting/driving its hybrids at least once every month for 30 minutes. I suspect even that's too long for one with a tired pack.

Grid charger required for proper care & feeding of elderly packs.

[MetroMPG]

Point of comparison for my Metro/Firefly's fuel consumption performance against the Insight...

On a 293 (182 mi.) weekend round trip, identical route, nearly identical conditions:

• Insight: 2.5L / 100 km or 94 mpg (US): last fall, with IMA disabled and 5 aero mods in place, cruising within +/- a couple of km/h of the posted limit of 80 km/h / 50 mph on the open road.
  
  Main techniques used: DWL (driving with load), aiming to stay in lean burn at 100 MPG on the instant display on the highway at 50 mph / 80 km/h. Manual engine-off to most stops/turns, DRL used selectively (on in the city).

• EcoModded Metro/Firefly: 3.4 L/100 km or 69.4 mpg (US): this weekend.
  
  Main techniques used: same as the Insight, except no lean burn (!), so to achieve that fuel economy, I had to drive 10 km/h slower on the open road compared to the Insight (where I could, without pissing off other drivers)!

Conditions on both trips were nearly perfect: mostly flat roads, dry, 15-20*C (cool enough to comfortably keep the windows up on the highway), little to no wind on both days, very light traffic outside of the city.

[rmay635703]

Metro, just do what I did until I got a suitable charger for my ev, wire it in straight into the 220v through a diode or bridge with a resistor AKA 110v bulb.

It will literally take you $5 and 5 minutes to assemble and although inefficient its still probably less expensive than not charging. Gas is more than 0.25 cents of electricity (if that)

3 Dollar Battery Charger

If you already have a killowatt and one of those ac timers you can safely use one of these to slowly top off your pack each day.

Just keep the exposed terminals inside and use a Ground fault outlet.

And if you want to take 10 minutes and $20 use a motor run cap instead of the resistor with a bridge and it will be efficient.

No less safe than the typical non-isolated chargers.

Have fun.

[MetroMPG]

This little car continues to amaze me.

Today, while driving along a 2 lane highway at the speed limit (80 km/h - 50 mph) on level ground, I caught up to and passed a slower car while holding 100 mpg (US) on the instant MPG display. (!)

Managed 90 mpg (US) for the entire 160km / 100 mi. round trip, including city driving at both ends and passing through the main street of a small town (5 traffic lights) in the middle of each leg.

A marvel of engineering.

[eco_generator]

You make me wish I had a use for a 2-seater car!

[rmay635703]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

This little car continues to amaze me.

Today, while driving along a 2 lane highway at the speed limit (80 km/h - 50 mph) on level ground, I caught up to and passed a slower car while holding 100 mpg (US) on the instant MPG display. (!)

Managed 90 mpg (US) for the entire 160km / 100 mi. round trip, including city driving at both ends and passing through the main street of a small town (5 traffic lights) in the middle of each leg.

A marvel of engineering.

i really wish i had an insight, i was lucky to hit 58mpg ONCE!

Anyway I had to give you a little poke i know that i am lax to complete things correctly and then put off using something "because it wasn't done right"

If nothing else doing it quick and dirty will motivate you to finish the "real" charger that should be in there.

[Tango Charlie]

You really owe it to yourself to drive the car with a fully functional battery. Accelerating away from a pickup truck who thinks he can beat you away from the stop light is...very satisfying.

[MetroMPG]

Last month marked the 1 year anniversary of finding the U.F.O.

I fueled up 3 times in year #1, and just added my first fill of year #2 / 2012 today: 86 mpg (US) / 2.7 L/100 km. (Almost all of that is with the hybrid functions disabled.)

I still haven't gotten around to building the grid charger since analyzing/refurbishing the hybrid battery pack, but then again, I haven't been using the car much. It is on the to-do list though! (Really, it is!)