THE HONDA INSIGHT

Ever since getting car sick as a little kid, I've had a deep dislike for automobiles. Then, more than 6 decades later Lolita came into the picture.

She is a gasoline/electric hybrid. All power comes from a 70 HP, 3 cylinder, 995 cc gasoline
engine. An electric motor driven by a 144 volt battery is between the gasolene engine and the transmission. Most of the power in the battery comes from sources other cars discard as heat. When the brakes are applied, energy from the kinetic energy of motion is converted to electricity and stored in the 144 volt battery. In a similar manner, potential energy possessed by the car when it is on hill is converted to electricity as it travels down the hill. Energy in the battery is used when more power is needed than the gasoline engine can supply, such as may occur when passing or climbing. To view an article on Lolita in the local paper, click here.
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