Honda Insight (2019 year). Manual

Your SPORT HYBRID i-MMD vehicle uses both an electric motor and a gasoline engine as propulsion sources, with the electric motor
receiving electricity from an internal High Voltage battery or internal generator. The High Voltage battery can be charged from the
generator driven by the engine or regenerative braking.

When driving, your vehicle is propelled exclusively by the electric motor, exclusively by the gasoline engine, or by a combination of the two.
The system selects which propulsion source is most appropriate and automatically switches to it. Under certain circumstances, pressing the
EV button can manually enable EV (driven only on electricity) mode.

● Energy efficiency
As with a gasoline-powered vehicle, hybrid vehicle fuel efficiency and driving range is most impacted by your driving style. Aggressive
acceleration and high-speed driving can easily trigger the system to switch the propulsion source to the gasoline-powered engine.
In addition, heavy climate control system use negatively affects vehicle range and efficiency. Either of these use patterns will more quickly
reduce the High Voltage battery's state of charge.

● Battery types
There are two types of batteries used in this vehicle; a standard 12-volt battery that powers the airbags, the interior and exterior lights, and
other standard 12-volt systems; and a high voltage battery that is used to power the propulsion motor and recharge the 12-volt battery.

* Not available on all models

Quick

Referenc

e Guide

SPORT HYBRID i-MMD SYSTEM MAIN COMPONENTS

Gasoline Engine

– Provides propulsion to drive the wheels

under certain driving conditions, and turns the generator.

Generator

– Starts the engine and generates electric power

when driven by the gasoline engine to supply electricity to
power the electric motor and/or to charge the High Voltage
battery.

Electric Motor

– Provides propulsion to drive the wheels in

conjunction with the gasoline engine in certain conditions, and
provides electricity to the High Voltage battery through
regenerative braking.

High Voltage Battery

– Provides electrical storage and serves

as a power source for the electric motor.
Learning about the High Voltage battery’s characteristics will
help you get the best handling and maximize the range of your
electric vehicle.

(P477)

High Voltage Battery Charge Level Indicator

– Displays

battery state of charge.
When the indicator:

•

Displays two or less segments, EV mode is no longer available.

•

Displays ten segments, battery charge level is full.

High Voltage Battery

Generator & Electric Motor

Gasoline Engine

Quick

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Operating

mode

Electric Vehicle (EV)

Hybrid (HV)

Engine (Direct Drive)

Regeneration

Driving

Speed

Stopped or driven at low speeds:

●

Only the electric motor
provides propulsion to the
wheels.

Driven in high-load conditions
(e.g., when accelerating, going
uphill):

●

The Electric Motor provides
propulsion to the wheels.

●

The gasoline engine drives the
generator, supplying
electricity to the electric
motor for added propulsion
or to the High Voltage battery
for charging.

Driven in high-speed, low-load
conditions:

●

The gasoline engine provides
propulsion to the wheels.

●

The High Voltage battery
supplies electricity to the
electric motor for added
propulsion.

●

The electric motor provides
electricity to the High Voltage
battery through regenerative
braking.

The accelerator pedal is released
and the vehicle is decelerating.

●

The electric motor provides
electricity to the High Voltage
battery through regenerative
braking.

Power Flow

Monitor

Electric motor

Stopped/Running

Running

Generating/Running

Regenerating

Generator

Stopped

Generating

No Output

Stopped/No Output

Engine

Stopped

Running

Stopped/No Output

High Voltage

battery

Discharge

Charging/Discharge

Charging

Vehicle
Speed

Time

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EV Button

EV mode is enabled by pressing the EV button near the shift
button.

The EV mode indicator comes on in the instrument panel when EV
mode is enabled.

Press the EV button again to switch back to HV mode.

Some conditions, such as a low High Voltage battery level and a
high vehicle speed, may keep the system from manually switching
into EV mode. The beeper sounds and a message appears on the
driver information interface with the button pressed when EV
mode is disabled.

Shifts in vehicle, driving or road conditions may automatically
cancel EV mode and switch back to HV mode.

A message will appear on the driver information interface and EV mode may be canceled automatically when:
● The High Voltage battery charge level is low.

● Your vehicle speed is too high.

● Your vehicle speed is above 25 mph (40 km/h) while the engine is in warming-up operation.

● You fully depress the accelerator pedal.

● You are driving on hilly road.

2 Driver Information Interface Warning and Information Messages (P102)

In EV mode, the acoustic vehicle alerting system is on.

2 Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (P468)

Press

Canadian models

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Referenc

e Guide

● Regenerative Energy and Regenerative Braking

When the vehicle is decelerating or descending a hill, the electric motor acts as a generator that
recovers a portion of the energy that was used to accelerate the vehicle.
The regenerative force that the electric motor applies to the wheels when it is in regenerative
mode helps to slow the vehicle down in a manner similar to engine braking which is used on
conventional vehicles. If you want to slow the vehicle down at a faster rate without using the
brakes, you can use the deceleration paddle selector to increase the resistive force.

When regenerative braking is in
operation

Motor

High
Voltage
Battery

Quick

Referenc

e Guide

● Auto Engine Stop/Start
Your vehicle's gasoline engine automatically stops running during vehicle operation or restarts while the vehicle is stationary when it is
appropriate.
In the following cases, however, auto engine stop may not activate.

•

The vehicle momentarily needs additional power for aggressive acceleration, or driving uphill or at high speed.

•

The climate control system is in heavy use.

•

The High Voltage battery temperature is high or low.

● Sounds Unique to the SPORT HYBRID i-MMD System
When you first start driving this vehicle, you will likely hear some unfamiliar sounds, particularly when you turn on the power system, or
while you are driving or accelerating from a stop. Some of these sounds are unique to this vehicle’s powertrain, fuel, and climate control
systems; others are similar to sounds generated by conventional automobiles that typically are masked by louder noises absent from a
vehicle of this design. These sounds are not a cause for concern, and you will soon recognize them as normal and thus be able to detect any
new or unusual noise should one develop.

After shutting off the engine, you may hear certain noises coming from the vehicle. Here’s the lowdown:

•

Noise from Under Vehicle: This noise is caused by the vacuum pump inside the fuel evaporation leakage check module (ELCM).
Depending on conditions, the pump will come on for about 15 minutes about 5 to 10 hours after engine shutoff. This noise is just normal
vehicle operation and don’t indicate a vehicle problem.

Honda Insight (2019 year). Manual - part 1