Is more frequent driver testing the answer?

Would you be surprised to learn that the greatest threat to safety on our roads is “careless driving and dangerous driving practices”? More so than the traffic conditions and the condition of the vehicles themselves?


Indeed it is, according to a recent national poll.

Further aggravating the seriousness of the situation, many of the poll participants aged 26-44 openly admitted to dangerous driving habits in the course of their hurried and distracted daily driving routine. Also worrisome is that this particular age group is also known for a higher statistical incidence of road rage and extreme aggressive behavior.

While many road safety experts and advocates agree that safety requires three things “Safe cars, safe roads and safe drivers”, the later is often the most elusive and yet, ironically the simplest to address and even control. Or is it?


Looking at the numbers

To be more specific, this poll also found that most drivers believe it is quite safe to exceed the posted speed limit by 5-10 km/h.

• 71% of the polled drivers speed on a regular basis (surprisingly, seniors were meaningfully represented in this group).
• Nearly 1 in every 3 men believes it is acceptable to exceed the posted speed limit by 5-10km/h.
• Many of the polled drivers (59%) also admit they will eat while driving
• A majority of the drivers with ages between 26 and 44 admitted to having the most dangerous behaviors on the road.
• 37% of the polled drivers admit to talking on a mobile phone while driving.
• Amazingly, 14% of the polled drivers also admitted to reading while driving.

To summarize, in this nationwide poll by (Mason-Dixon) approximately 90% of the participants admitted to engaging in one or more of the above violations in the past 6 months and not coincidentally, these very same behaviors are identified by experts as the primary reasons for traffic fatalities on our roads.


What about driver re-testing? Would this help?

Perhaps, and according to most drivers polled: Definitely, yes.

But the vast majority indentified only the very young and the older drivers as needing frequent testing. When asked if everyone should be subjected to regular road testing, most drivers characterized the suggestion as a wasteful and costly undertaking. In fact, many of these respondents described themselves as either “safe” or “very safe” drivers despite having also admitted to being involved in a minor traffic accident in the last 2 years where they were found to be at fault by at least 50%.

Of the many unsafe practices these drivers also admitted to, regular speeding, tailgating at unsafe speeds and lane changes without signaling were among the most common.


Now then, is general mandatory or targeted testing the answer?

Again, unless forced to do so, many drivers would rather avoid a re-test. They often cited their “safe driving record” and cost (personal and societal) as supporting reasons. For many of these drivers, minor infractions and other behavioral “faux-pas” are not the primary causes of the loss of life and loss of property on our roads, even though they concede that these practices could still be the root cause for an accident. According to these folks the problem is always with someone else as reflected by the numbers produced by the same poll:

• 77 percent of the polled drivers said seniors should be periodically retested
• 69 percent favored retesting for teens

When overlapping the above statistics with the earlier numbers identifying problematic drivers in ages between 26 and 44, we come to the conclusion that perhaps all drivers should undergo some sort of regular mandatory road testing.

However, any type of mandatory testing is bound to carry a significant operational overhead to be shouldered by the already cash-lean testing centers. Without even factoring other consequences this alone has the potential of being considered the political minefield that many politicians would rather avoid.

After all, it is quite conceivable than many licensed drivers would lose their privilege to drive on the account of a failed test and if these statistics are any indication, we suspect the numbers would be high enough to scare even the most courageous legislator.

What are the chances that we will ever have general mandatory testing? Very slim indeed. The same cannot be said about targeted testing, but then again this option is often the least favorite and the pushback from special interest groups can be quite pronounced.


How about incentivized testing?

This type of testing could be used in the context of reduced insurance premiums and also the prerequisite to recovering from a loss of driving privileges.

In the case of good drivers, a regular road test (say, every 5 years) could make them eligible for an additional discount that will be in effect until either a traffic accident or traffic act violation is filed on that driver’s record.

Incentivized testing could also be used to lower driver license renewal fees and could potentially include other rewards affecting reduced member ship fees in some of the nation’s auto clubs. Some suggest that this type of benefit should also help negotiate lower personal insurance premiums and even lower financing rates.


How about traffic act enforcement?

In the absence of a smart highway system with sophisticated vehicles to use it, the only viable options left to us is to adjust the safety equation with either more or less traffic enforcement. On this front, we have the costly presence of enforcement personnel on our roadways and even the much hated “cash cows” of speed and intersection camera systems.

But does enforcement work? And if it does then why have we not invested on more of this to stem the continued loss of human and material losses.

Could it be because enforcement is an essential component but not the only determinant in promoting safety and compliance with the traffic act?

Indeed, increasing safety on our roads is one of the complex issues of our time, dwarfed only by the multitude of approaches and perspectives on how to increase safety.

As it has been shown in the past, over-using the hand of enforcement would likely result in diminishing returns in safety with extreme rises in cost which also happen to have other consequences and societal costs.

Conversely, reducing the amount of active enforcement while everything else remains unchanged would not only worsen the road safety but also erode the purpose and value of the traffic act and its laws.

Perhaps the answer lies with a combination of approaches that combine some form of testing and enforcement. Adding education and continuous promotion of traffic safety on a variety of mediums and venues could also help as it is being shown by the initiatives adopted by many local governments.


In the meantime what can you and I do to increase safety on our roads?

As some would say “Tell me, and I will forget. Show me, and I will remember.” we believe that the most affordable approach to improving safety on our roads is to "do it by example" as often and frequently as possible.

Safety begins with each of us, and even though it may, at first, be accompanied by a sense of futility, the results can be quite impressive. In other words, driving courteously, defensibly and in compliance with the traffic regulations in your area serves as a living and practical demonstration that you can not only arrive safely to your destination but you will do so efficiently with not only maximum financial benefit to yourself but with sizable environmental benefits to spare.


What can I do to be a better driver?

1. Leave 5 to 10 minutes earlier before your commute.
2. Drive at or safely below the speed limit and obey all traffic signs and signals.
3. DO NOT respond or acknowledge any displays of aggressive, combative or unlawful conduct on the part of other drivers. Allow them to pass and signal your intentions clearly and appropriately.
4. Observe potentially dangerous situations and give yourself enough room to preempt the safe avoidance of an accident.
5. When driving, look ahead and plan your decelerations and lane changes. Brake gradually and gently especially if you strive to maintain at least a 2-4 car length buffer between yourself and the vehicle immediately in front of you.
6. Maintain your vehicle in good operating order. Check your tire pressure and please remember that the manufacturer tire pressure is the minimum safe pressure you should practice. Contrary to the belief of many drivers and others in the industry, tire blow-outs and other catastrophic tire failures are more likely when the tires are operated with an inflation level below the manufacturer recommended value. Although mild over-inflation (pressures above the tire’s maximum rated pressure) is safer than operating your tires under-inflated, we strongly suggest you consider the conditions of your tire (age and prior damage) as well as the climate and roads you drive in.
7. Finally, adopt any number of basic hypermiling techniques as afforded by the CleanMPG hypermiling toolkit. When in doubt, please ask ;)

Please discuss;

Understanding your hybrid's NiMH battery pack

As many of us know, our hybrid electric vehicles are equipped with battery packs consisting of chains of battery cells. Depending on the type of manufacturing technology and packaging, these battery cells can either by prismatic or cylindrical and there's much to be said about their management and longevity.

In any case, as your vehicle ages some new found behavior's may become more pronounced and an explanation may be needed in order to avoid undue concern or panic.

To read more, please follow the next link:

Explaining the basics (101) of the NiMH chemistry

Cheers;

Is your driving turning the Prius into a monster?

We have a small but somewhat interesting group of hybrid owners that in addition to trivializing the principle of fuel saving driving techniques, are also bent on promoting the notion of a driving attitude unsurprisingly dubbed "Just Drive It".

According to these folks, "Just drive it" is all a Prius owner needs to know in order to materialize the benefits of the technology, nothing more. In other words, just power up the vehicle and drive it as you would any other car and let the hybrid power train management take care of the rest.

Then again, if it were not for the additional fuel savings and lower emissions potential that these hybrid vehicle's can offer when used properly, perhaps the "Just drive it" principle would have at least one merit to stand on: Never-ending mediocrity.


Why should you hypermile and not "Just Drive it"?

Hypermiling is a fuel saving discipline that is based on a toolkit of basic, intermediate and advanced techniques.
The governing principle is quite simple: While operating within the legal boundaries of the traffic Act, use one or more basic techniques and you'll surely increase your vehicle's fuel economy (and lower its emissions). Use a few more and you'll not only beat the EPA rating for your car but you'll do so by a very wide margin -- made even wider by the updated ratings released in 2008.

In short order, this is just a small sample of what hypermiling can do for you:

• If you cannot or do not want to buy a fuel efficient hybrid vehicle, then hypermiling can help you improve your current fuel economy by as much as 50% or more. In some cases, the improvement can be quite dramatic and depending on the vehicle, the lower fuel consumption will rival and often better that of any hybrid when driven in less optimal ways. Despite the demonstrated and documented evidence, this is something some Prius owners stubbornly dismiss.
  
• If you own a hybrid vehicle, hypermiling will not only greatly enhance the benefits that the underlying technology offers over their non-hybrid counterparts (significantly lower emissions and astounding fuel economy potential), but you'll also open up a whole new dimension of rewarding driving enjoyment that is ultimately beneficial to us all.
  
• By using any of the sanctioned CleanMPG hypermiling techniques, a driver will become inherently more aware of his/her surroundings and preempt much of what happens with a driving attitude that is not only safer but also more defensive. In contrast, "Just Drive It" is just that. No encouragement for change in driving habits, meaning that you'll likely continue to drive inefficiently and oblivious to the implications built into the act of driving.
  
• Hypermiling will produce measurable benefits in almost every identifiable area, and even more so with almost any hybrid technology currently on the market. Be it HSD or IMA, hypermiling will truly transform these architectures into the environmental powerhouses that they are.
• For those of us who have tried hypermiling, the alternative is akin to waste and sadly so characteristic of the 20th century ways of thinking. In a world of diminishing resources and limited hybrid vehicle supply, hypermiling and ecodriving are the single most important driver centric activities that can truly leverage the inherent potential of the technology available, today.
• You purchased a brand new hybrid vehicle and you paid a noticeable premium for the vehicle's content and technology. It is only obvious and in your interest, to fully utilize the benefits of the technology you paid for. Refusing to do so by ignoring the built-in hybrid specific instrumentation is a sure way to erode the financial return on your expenditure. Hypermiling will not only accelerate the rate of return but also accentuate it to unheard of levels.
  

So there you have it. A simple set of just two options is offered for your consideration and reflection. Along with our collective impact and aided by the constantly evolving automotive technology we can either choose hypermiling as the complementing half of the ideal solution...
...or we can continue to endorse the lesser examples of driving mediocrity as seen on our roads on a daily basis.


For all our sakes, please choose wisely.

The 2010 Prius in-depth review - review video

Even though we're on the final stages of editing the actual in-depth review of the Canadian 2010 Prius, we opted to make the wait less painful by releasing the video review earlier.



At the end of the video you'll also find a summary of the observed fuel economy along with the set of techniques we used for our testing.

However, I will also attempt to answer a couple questions regarding the maximum fuel economy economy we achieved in this car, but before doing so allow me to provide an appropriate context:
- The numbers I will mention are the "displayed fuel economy" and not the actual consumption (hand calculated). Please note that the Prius III tends to overestimate its displayed fuel economy.
- These numbers were recorded on a "per trip segment" and also under somewhat favorable conditions (low speed and light traffic)
- Low speed pulse and glide was often the preferred technique under these scenarios.

Anyway, under the conditions mentioned above, our best fuel economy was recorded at 1.8 L/100km over a ~11+ KM segment... but as some of us know, sustaining these numbers over longer distances is an entirely different matter and may require a bit more work and focus.

Enjoy

A snapshot of this year's HybridFest 2009 (GreenDrive Expo)

Another year and another HybridFest - a yearly event dedicated to alternative fuel vehicles.

Almost ritually, this event takes place in Madison, Wisconsin during the third week of July (July 17-20) and attracts hybrid owners as well as manufacturers from many states and provinces across the continent.

The group photo captured the vehicles that participated in the MPG competition which took place on Friday 17. This MPG competition pits the owners of hybrid and other fuel efficient vehicles against a 42km (26 miles) course.

Here are the results for this MPG competition:

			Vehicle (Make,Model)	Class/Division	L/100KM - MPG US	% Above EPA
			Honda Insight (Manual)	1	1.92 l/100km - 122.4	135.4%
			Honda Insight (Manual)	1	2.17 l/100km - 108.8	109.2%
			Honda Insight (CVT)	1	2.64 l/100km - 89.3	90.0%
			Honda Insight (Manual)	1	2.54 l/100km - 92.5	77.9%
			Honda Insight (CVT)	1	3.30 l/100km - 71.2	51.5%
			Honda Insight (Manual)	1	3.07 l/100km - 76.5	47.1%
			Honda Insight (Manual)	1	3.09 l/100km - 75.9	45.9%
			Toyota Prius Gen 2	2	2.73 l/100km - 86.0	87.0%
			Toyota Prius Gen 2	2	2.74 l/100km - 85.7	86.3%
			Toyota Prius Gen 2	2	2.81 l/100km - 83.5	81.5%
			Toyota Prius Gen 2	2	2.92 l/100km - 80.4	74.7%
			Toyota Prius Gen 2	2	3.00 l/100km - 78.3	70.2%
			Toyota Prius Gen 2	2	3.05 l/100km - 76.9	67.2%
			Toyota Prius Gen 2	2	3.28 l/100km - 71.7	55.9%
			Toyota Prius Gen 2	2	3.38 l/100km - 69.5	51.0%
			Toyota Prius Gen 2	2	3.54 l/100km - 66.4	44.4%
			Toyota Prius Gen 2	2	3.69 l/100km - 63.7	38.5%
			Toyota Prius Gen 3	2	3.41 l/100km - 68.8	37.6%
			Toyota Prius Gen 3	2	3.44 l/100km - 68.2	36.4%
			Toyota Prius Gen 2	2	3.86 l/100km - 60.9	32.5%
			Honda Civic Hybrid: All	3	3.29 l/100km - 71.5	70.2%
			Toyota Prius Gen 1	3	3.93 l/100km - 59.7	45.6%
			Honda Civic Hybrid: All	3	3.97 l/100km - 59.2	41.0%
			Toyota Camry Hybrid	4	3.71 l/100km - 63.3	86.1%
			Toyota Camry Hybrid	4	4.42 l/100km - 53.2	56.5%
			Ford Escape Hybrid 4WD	5	5.13 l/100km - 45.8	69.6%
			Toyota Prius Gen 2 (PHEV)	6	1.21 l/100km - 195.0	323.9%
			Toyota Prius Gen 2 (PHEV)	6	1.42 l/100km - 165.0	258.7%
			Toyota Prius Gen 2 (PHEV)	6	2.01 l/100km - 117.0	154.4%
			Honda CRX 1991	7	3.61 l/100km - 65.1	141.0%
			Volkswagen Golf TDI 2001 (Man)	7	2.70 l/100km - 86.8	128.4%
			Honda Civic CX (Man)	7	3.80 l/100km - 61.8	62.6%
			Saturn Aura XE 4 Cyl	7	6.79 l/100km - 34.6	33.1%

Among other fun activities and events there were technical discussions and vehicle manufacturer presentations (Ford Fusion hybrid, and others) which took place at the Clarion Hotel. The nearby Alliant Energy Centre was also home to the expo component of this 3 day event, where many players in the fuel efficient automotive field demonstrated their products and services.

As usual, we (CleanMPG) had our opportunity to evangelize the benefits of safe and efficient driving to many of the attendees.

Here's a video covering the "Talk to a hybrid owner" session and also the exhibits at the Expo Centre:


Cheers

Optimistic Fuel Consumption Displays - or just another case of "No second chance for first impressions" ?

You finally decided to visit your local dealer in hopes of taking a brand new hybrid for a spin. You get in the car and the salesperson kindly shows you the basics about the vehicle and also clears the MPG-L/100Km trip display and you depart. Along the way, you observe very good fuel economy and the final numbers displayed at the end of the test drive become nothing less than "the cherry on the cake".

Yes, you are impressed. And that impression tied in with the unmatched smooth and silent driving experience remains in your mind; tempting and seducing you... at least until a few weeks later at the pump!

OK. Perhaps not all of us purchase a fuel efficient hybrid based solely on the fuel economy numbers we achieve in a first test drive. But, wouldn't many people be tempted to make a purchase decision primarily hinging on this factor alone?

As many of us already know, some hybrids have always been calibrated to slightly overestimate the displayed fuel economy... and now that Honda also appears to have returned to the practice with their 2010 Insight (see our in depth review of the 2010 Insight for details) then why not have it escalate to the next level?

In the case of the new 2010 Prius: How does a 3-7 MPG (US) overestimate sound?
It appears that the discrepancy is larger when highly focused and fuel efficient driving is employed whereas the gap seems lessened when the vehicle is driven in less optimal ways.


How do we determine that "instrumented overestimates" are occurring?

Carefully and patiently top of the tank until you see the fuel level, then reset the trip meter of your choice and drive. At a later date/time, return to your favorite pump and refill to the same level as before and calculate your vehicle's actual fuel consumption by hand. Do this just several times and you will have your confirmation.

NOTE: While topping off an AT-PZEV rated vehicle on a regular basis and in this fashion is not a recommended practice, a few times will certainly not compromise your vehicle's evaporative emissions system.

Wasn't it always like this?

Mostly yes, but still... while some "up or down" deviation is acceptable, this much will inevitably be noticed.


Comments?

New hybrid added to the home fleet

Even though my wife grew attached to her 2007 Honda Civic Hybrid, she has now accepted her new upcoming car: a 2010 Toyota Prius.

Why the change? Toyota improved the new car on a good collection of issues that lessened her previous Prius experience (a 2007 model), namely the overall human interface and driver accommodations to the point that she now thinks the 2010 Prius is a natural step up from her HCH-II. Of course, winter time performance on a couple of areas is also something that made her 2007 Prius also a little less exciting, but that too was something Toyota did not ignore in the redesign of the 2010 Prius.

So, what was wrong with her current Civic hybrid?
Nothing really. The 2007 Civic is an admirable performer and we are both sorry to see it go. It is a refined, solid, efficient, quiet, smooth, clean and extremely safe and dependable hybrid vehicle... Its just that with the new Prius she will be able to further reduce her fuel consumption (to match mine) without any big changes to her driving routine.

Anyway, I just hope its next owner gives her 2007 HCH a good home that is worthy of its amazing Eco potential.

Her new Prius (a Sandy Beach Metallic) is on its way and it is indeed good to become a Honda and Toyota hybrid household again.

And why not? In my books, these vehicles remain the best performing hybrid vehicles on our market today.

Cheers;

2010 Toyota Prius - In depth review (coming soon)

Yes, finally !!!!

The updated version of the legendary hybrid vehicle we know and love is finally available to Canadians!

Toyota listened to many of the requests from earlier owners and factored in so many improvements that we're going to have a field day just mentioning the most relevant ones!

As usual, our review will not seek to duplicate what the mainstream automotive media does. Nope, we suspect you want to know the kinds of things that even your Toyota salesperson does not know... and on this note, we have quite a bit of detail in store for you. And how about a comparison between the 2010 Prius and its main competitors from Honda, the 2010 Insight and the existing HCH-II?

Still, if you cannot wait for our assessment of this car's true potential, I humbly suggest you get started by visiting your local dealer and taking one on a test drive. Trust us, you will not regret it.

But, if you decide to wait we promise you'll be far better informed when you finally take that test drive.

Cheers;

The Canadian 2010 Honda Insight EX review is up

I am happy to report that we finally published the much awaited Honda Insight in-depth review.

As you will discover, this is no mere review since we not only explored this car in detail but we also managed to compare it to the Honda's Honda Civic Hybrid, which also happens to share the showroom floor with the 2010 Insight at your local dealer.

NOTE: If you are not interested in what this car can do from a fuel economy and lower emissions perspective then it is likely that this review will not excite you.

As we have said many times before, our focus is safety and ecologically responsible driving. On this note, you will not read about 0-100 km/h numbers or slalom acceleration forces or braking distances. For that we happily refer you to our dependable colleagues in the mainstream press who over the years have done an admirable job on the latter.

• The Canadian Honda Insight EX review

• Comparison between the 2010 Honda Insight and the 2009 Honda Civic Hybrid

Coming up: Canadian 2010 Toyota Prius + Detailed comparison with the 2009 Prius


Enjoy

2010 Honda Insight test almost done.

Our in-depth review of the 2010 Honda Insight is almost over and we're making a call for some feedback from the community of HI-II owners:

We're looking for feedback in the following areas:

1. Specific attributes of driving behavior of the vehicle that impress you or not.
2. Instrumentation benefits/detriments in everyday use.
3. Have you noticed any fuel consumption patterns due to cold, driving regimen including observable differences between displayed versus computed mileage?
4. How about the econ button? Have you used it or just kept it off? Your thoughts?
5. Practicality. Did you exercise its cargo and/or passenger flexibility?
6. Anything else you may wish to reference, including how this car may have changed your daily driving strategy.

You may email me or post your feedback here:

Impressions and general feedback


In the meantime, here's a snippet from the review vault:

You betrayed your hybrid message by endorsing a Diesel

In recent days, some folks have asked me why did I review a Diesel vehicle when I am such a staunch supporter of fuel efficient hybrids? Even more shocking, is why did I give such a good rating to this TDI at all even though it is nothing more than a Tier 2- Bin 5 vehicle?

These are all good questions, so let me explain in case I did not reflect that in my review well enough:

• First of all, please note the qualifier “fuel efficient hybrids”, as I do not support all hybrids. In fact, I am more likely to support and endorse a clean Diesel car like this Jetta TDI, than I am of supporting a Toyota/Lexus hybrid SUV or GM hybrid SUV.
• Second. Even though this 2009 Jetta TDI is still not as clean as I wished it could be, it still represents a significant amount of progress over what we have always known about past diesel tech. In my view we need more fuel efficient choices and as my review indicates, this particular car has an inherent fuel economy potential that simply cannot be ignored. In fact, compared to many gasoline only vehicles I would tend to regard this Jetta as a very attractive alternative to the 92% of vehicles on our roads today.
• Lastly, if you read my review of the 2009 VW Jetta TDI, you'll also note that I did not say this Jetta is an alternative to a fuel efficient hybrid at all, but then again, neither Toyota nor Honda can make enough hybrids to satisfy the needs of our market.

So it stands to reason, that Clean Diesel has a definite place in our future and the only thing it needs to improve even further, is additional emissions scrubbing and some level of acceptance by the general public. With environmental concerns at an all-time high, a good amount of scrutiny is pressing Diesel car makers to improve so I am sure this is something to keep an eye on.

If anyone thinks that we'll make the most progress by pushing hybrids only then I would say they are seriously mis-calculating the market penetration hybrid tech can have for the next 10 or so year. The biggest constraint to accelerated hybrid proliferation we have remains the paltry production capacity which is unlikely to ramp-up fast enough to produce the benefits we seek.

But while that happens, we not only need good ideas to come to fruition in the engineering war-rooms of our auto manufacturers, but we also need to leverage whatever technologies we have today which constitute a measurable improvement in emissions and fuel usage. As I said many times before, with additional improvements in the Clean Diesel tech there's no reason why this technology cannot share the roads with the still evolving hybrid platforms for the next 10 years. Sure it may be several steps behind hybrid technology in emissions but so far it has proven that it can be as clean as the other 95% of the vehicles on our roads today. And with the mileage potential we demonstrated this is a good place to start at.

The 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI review finally posted

Yes, it took a while but we wanted to make sure we had a chance to fully assess the fuel economy potential of this vehicle - with of course, a Canadian Spring time perspective added in. This also meant doing it with roads devoid of snow or ice and also with an opportunity to take the car through a variety of driving regimens.

If you wish to see how well a 2009 Jetta TDI can do under safe and fuel efficient driving please follow the link below.

CleanMPG - 2009 Jetta TDI review - (Canadian Comfortline model)

Enjoy.

2010 Honda Insight - In depth review and FAQ coming soon.

Yes, the mainstream publications have already released a lot of Insight II specific photos and videos regarding Honda's newest hybrid vehicle...
But, what is it like to live with this car with regards to its abilities and fuel economy potential in a typical urban setting... especially on how it compares to its bigger brother the HCH-II? Here are a few additional questions:

1. How does it hypermile and what techniques give you the most bang for your hypermiling buck?
2. What about soft gliding and its ease of use?
3. How's SoC management and what works best?
4. How easy is it to manage the electric assist?
5. What about the mid 3's mode for low speed urban commuting?
6. How effective is the SAHM mode on the highway and what speed ranges can we expect SAHM to be sustainable?
7. Pulse and Gliding?
8. S-Mode accelerations?
9. The ECO button?
10. The temperature thresholds and how it compares to the warm stages of the HCH-II?
    

Well, I'm going to spend some quality time with a new 2010 Honda Insight over the month of April and my primary goal is to provide some of the answers to these questions. So, if you have additional requests and ideas please feel free to submit them for our consideration and testing. :)

By the way, here's an exclusive 2010 Honda Insight video for your enjoyment:

2009 Jetta TDI review coming soon...

This morning I had a little invitation from a local VW dealer. Yes, I was offered the opportunity to review a 2009 Jetta TDI and I am seriously going to consider it. Sure, I have a high amount of affinity for fuel efficient hybrid technology but I still believe cleaner Diesel tech has a very important role to play in our immediate future. ;)

Anyway, I hope the dealer understands that unlike most folks testing their cars, I will be walking into their dealership with a scangauge in hand and a dead-serious desire to drive the demo unit into the lowest L/100km I can get.

As soon as I get enough information and driving impressions on this vehicle I will publish the review at CleanMPG. In the meantime I'll post the little bits of info as I get them.

Installing the LED taillights

After looking at the boxes for several days I decided I would give the installation a shot. Each box arrived with a different set of tail lights. I picked a set and opted to get my hands dirty with the task of prepping the car for the tail light replacement. This also meant securing an old blanket where I could temporarily rest the bumper and the taillights while working on the car.

The following is a brief summary of the major steps taken during this retrofit. A good set of tools is a must to avoid damaging the new and the OEM parts.

1. If you have rear mudflaps you may have to remove them. To do this well you may also need to remove the rear wheels since we may not have enough clearance to remove the flaps.
2. Then you have to remove a total of 4 screws on each side of the rear wheel well that are holding the bumper in place. Take care to note which screws go where in order to reverse the procedure later on - yes they are all slightly different.
3. Then it is a matter on unbolting two high mounted screws (under the trunk lid) with a hex key and then carefully pop off the two clips at the bottom of the bumper.
4. Once this hardware is out of the way and with the help of an assistant we pull out the bumper starting from the ends at each wheel well. An assistant will help hold the lightweight bumper without it falling on the ground - remember the bumper is a painted surface.
5. The next step is to remove the trunk lining out of the way enough to gain access to each tail light. Remove the connectors and bulb from each taillight and take note which bulb came from which orifice.
   
6. You need a good wrench to remove a total of 4 nuts out of each taillight. Once the nuts are removed we need to loosen up the metal bracket holding up each tail light. The single screw attaching the metal bracket to the bottom of the tail light also needs to come off completely. We do this to both taillights and gently remove the units.
7. At this stage you are ready to unpack then new tail lights and slide them into the appropriate locations.
8. Perform a readiness test before bolting everything back in. This may include pressing the brake pedal, turning on the marker lights and the hazard lights. If all looks good simply bolt everything back to the way it was. Make sure the water seal is properly positioned around the inner edge of the taillights otherwise you may end-up with some water in your trunk after a car wash.

The picture to the right shows the OEM and the new LED tail lights for the rear right side of the car. The top light is the OEM part and the bottom (with the attached load resistor) is the new assembly.

Some words of caution...

Make sure that you insert the new taillight connectors into the OEM wiring harness carefully since these are not as smooth and rounded as the OEM bulbs were and you may crumple the internal contacts in the OEM harness.

Also, as you may notice one of the new tail lights has a bad LED. I will be exchanging this one one of these days.

Was it worth it?

That's what I will be assessing over the next few days. At some point the full review of this accessory will be posted at www.CleanMPG.com. Anyway, the whole setup took about two hours to complete especially after you include the inner (trunk lid mounted) tail lights.

Here's a little video showing the tail lights in action. The side marker lights are on as well as the hazards.

Cheers;

Adding LED tailights to the HCH-II

A local group of HCH-II owners agreed to review a set of HCH-II tail lights that run mostly on high intensity LED arrays. These tail lights are complete assemblies that match the size of the OEM tail lights and only use a single stock incandescent bulb used for the backup light. The remaining light clusters are strictly LED based and the complete units are OEM plug and play.

Oh, yes. These units are DOT approved too. Here's a sample:

The candidate units will be Altezza, APC and ANZO branded and we will report on how they perform in terms of power usage. We expect these to perform as well as the OEM units in terms of lighting effectiveness, but we are not sure if these will actually consume less power. As you may know, the upcoming Toyota Prius has this feature and so does the 2009 Honda Insight. For good reasons, LED tail lights are expected to save a few percent in nominal energy over the more traditional lighting.

We have ours fingers crossed... as these tail light units are very expensive roughly $250 to $400 so we hope they work. If they don't, well... at least they will look OK.

Update on the latest software updates for the HCH-II

Well, a couple of months have passed and I have a much better idea whether the latest updates actually improved things with regards to the occasional SoC crashes. Please check this post for actuall update details:

Software update part numbers

First let me summarize what the current behavior now is:

1. Regen affinity is much higher during low throttle conditions while is the ICE is cold. This relates to the early temperature transition stages (S0 through S3).
2. When SoC descends to 5 bars a forced regen is induced as it did before when it dipped below 5.
3. SoC crashes still happen but these are detected before the SoC dips below 5 bars.
4. Forced regens stop when the SoC reaches a full 8 bars
5. Finally, forced regens usually jump from an SoC of 6 bars to 8. No smooth transitions as they did before.

This is the post update behavior in a nutshell and after a few months of living with it I can't say I am happy with it. I will be contacting Honda regarding the update and I will be forwarding my feedback especially since no additional updates have been placed on the channel.

I'll post additional info as soon as I get more information on this issue.

Life Cycle assessment for Honda and Toyota hybrids (HCH-II & Prius II)

I recently re-discovered a chart that had originally been published in one on Honda's 2007 environmental reports. In this chart Honda illustrates how much CO2 the Civic Hybrid produces above its gasoline only powered counterpart. The graph identifies the volume of CO2 produced during its first 100,000 Kilometers (62,000 miles) and it also identifies which aspect of the cars life (from production to use and disposal) contributes the most.


Let us just say, that when it comes to energy usage the Civic Hybrid produces far less CO2 and requires measurably less energy to operate for the first 100,000 km. Can you imagine how much of a discrepancy there would be if the study had been extended to 200,000 km?

What about the Toyota Prius, the most popular and ubiquitous hybrid in the world?


Pretty educational isn't it?

A few words:

Since these two graphs were published by the two largest global producers of of Hybrid electric vehicles in the world, they carry a fair amount of similarities and results. What is remarkable is that despite the additional amount of resources and energy their fuel efficient and capable HEV consume during their production, they will require relatively little time and mileage to best their conventionally powered siblings.

Yes, these graphs were provided by both Honda and Toyota and not an independent source but it is the best and most authoritative we can get, which is far more than the shameful guesswork CNW did during their much controversial study.

No wonder CNW never allowed their work and claims to be peer reviewed. :(

The Prius Detroit Connection event

Toyota issued invitations to 50 of the most active Prius owners to attend the unveiling of the new 2010 Toyota Prius in Detroit during the NAIAS event. We had folks from all over the continent (US and Canada) as well as Pat Sparks from Australia. Most of these folks were members of online communities (CleanMPG and PriusChat - both of which I am a member) and we not only had an opportunity to rub shoulders but we also managed to have a hands on experience with 3 distinct trim levels of the upcoming 2010 Prius.

Special thanks goes to Toyota for the extremely well organized event as well as the online community who tirelessly continue to make the Toyota Prius the pinnacle of excellence in the automotive world.

Anyhow, here are a few videos for your enjoyment:
The following is a detailed video of the power-train components (ICE and HSD). Please note the engine, the exhaust recirculation system and the more compact battery pack+cooling packaging.



The next two videos capture an interactive kiosk display that highlights the new developments on the 2010 Prius.

Live from NAIAS (Detroit) and the Prius 2010 PDC event

This years's North American International Auto Show event was underscored by the introductions of two very important vehicles: The 2010 third generation Toyota Prius and the 2010 second generation Honda Insight.

Here are some videos of the event:

The 2010 Honda Insight





The 2010 Toyota Prius


More to come ...