HONDA SETS 103 mpg FUEL ECONOMY RECORD

Honda’s all-new Insight coupe has set a new UK fuel economy record of 103 mpg after completing a non-stop 3,737 mile ‘Round-Britain’ run. Honda hopes to re-write the Guinness Book of Records once all the details of its record run have been verified by the publisher next month. The full figure of 102.65 mpg smashes the existing petrol-car record (85.96 mpg) set back in 1993 and is believed to be a world record for a standard production car driving on public roads.

Following the coastline of England, Wales and Scotland, along a ‘clock-wise’ route laid down by ‘Guinness’, the Insight visited more than 25 check-points and completed the course comfortably inside the 180 hours permitted by the rules. The record drive was virtually continuous over a seven-day period and took drivers as close to the coast as was practicable. It meant encountering normal motoring hazards, through congested cities and sleepy villages, across slow and hilly terrain and getting lost in the dark.

"The Insight has performed like clockwork throughout this non-stop event and its performance was right up to my expectations," enthused Dr Shigeru Miyano, the economy-run organiser and current UK mpg record-holder. The Kumamoto-based medical doctor was delighted with the result. "On the first day we averaged 88.53 mpg along the crowded south coast route to Exeter, but then every day the consumption improved.

"By the time we reached Inverness on Day 6 the overall fuel figure was up to 101.08 mpg so we knew the record was ours as the run coming down the East coast of England always uses less fuel. On the section between Newcastle and Great Yarmouth the Insight achieved an amazing 113.44 mpg."

Cars attempting a Guinness record-run in the UK must be standard cars available to the public. The Insight goes on sale on 1 September priced at £17,000 on the road.

Three teams of six drivers from seven countries took turns piloting the Insight on this quest for ultra-economy. The Honda used BP Unleaded Fuel and the record run was supported by BP Oil UK Ltd. Among the 18 drivers was Amanda McLaren, daughter of the late racing driver and founder of the Formula 1 team, Bruce McLaren.

Honda’s challenger for a place in the record book is a ‘hybrid’ two-seater coupe that blends a mass of new technologies to achieve several world ‘firsts’. Powered by a petrol engine and an electric motor, it is the world’s most economical volume-produced petrol engine car and the most aerodynamic, with a drag figure of 0.25 Cd. Before the record run, Honda’s Insight had achieved 83 mpg in the Government ‘combined’ fuel economy test, with 68 mpg in the city driving ‘urban’ test and over 94 mpg in the country road ‘extra-urban’ cycle.

The Insight is called a hybrid because it uses a petrol engine and a 10 kW electric motor. The ultra-thin (60mm) DC-brushless motor is mounted between the 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder, low-friction VTEC petrol engine and the lightweight 5-speed manual transmission. During acceleration the electric motor ‘assists’ the petrol engine, increasing performance to the level of a 1.5-litre petrol engine.

Although the Insight can accelerate to 62 mph in 12 seconds and has a top speed of 112 mph - its performance is achieved with ultra-low emissions. In normal driving the car produces 80 g/km of CO2, and CO, HC and NOx are way below the future EU limits for 2005. A new-type catalytic converter directly absorbs NOx.

Unlike a pure battery-powered electric vehicle, this Honda does not require an outside source of electricity. The electric motor acts as a generator during deceleration to recharge the Power Pack mounted between the rear wheels.