Benchmarking Shows Toyota, Honda Follow Different Paths to Hybridization

LYON, France –Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. Ltd. are the global hybrid leaders, together controlling 70% of the market, but a benchmarking teardown of their hybrid-electric vehicles gives a detailed view of the auto makers’ different strategies.

While Toyota has worked to constantly improve hybrid performance, Honda’s strategy has been to reduce cost, says Antoine Chatelain, director of Mavel SA’s Mavtech subsidiary, which recently presented an overview of the Toyota Prius, Honda Civic Hybrid and Insight at the French consultancy’s technical center here.

The ’09 Insight is less hybridized than the ’05 Civic Hybrid, Chatelain says, noting the Civic has electric air conditioning and regenerative braking, which the Insight lacks.

In contrast, the third-generation Prius is bigger than the Insight but has lower fuel consumption and is equipped with regenerative braking and two electric motors.

Although Ford Motor Co., General Motors Co. and Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. all have launched hybrid vehicles, they trail Toyota and Honda by far. Toyota has sold 1.1 million Prius HEVs worldwide, while Honda has delivered 200,000 Civic Hybrids.

Both the Prius and Insight are based on internal-combustion platforms: the Prius on the Auris/Avensis architecture and the Insight on the U.S. version of the Honda Jazz (Fit). The Prius weighs 156 lbs. (71 kg) more than the gasoline Auris, while the Insight weighs 159 lbs. (72 kg) more than a Jazz/Fit with the same engine.

“Toyota is weight-oriented, and Honda is cost-oriented,” Chatelain says. Not counting the hybridization, the changes made to the Prius platform shaved 32.6 lbs. (15 kg) of mass; while changes made to the Jazz platform for the Insight added 30.4 lbs. (13.8 kg).

The two hybrids have a different instrument cluster, rear seat, tailgate, windows and smaller gas tank than conventional gasoline models on the same architecture. The Prius has an electric A/C compressor and water pump, “green” tires, a different parking brake pedal, tailgate and windows. The Insight has a specific crankshaft and HVAC block, and bigger wheels.

Takahuru Echigo, who works for Honda Engineering Co. Ltd. in Swindon, U.K., confirms reduced cost was a key goal in the Insight’s development but notes performance also was a factor.
Power density nearly has doubled since 1999 when the first Insight was introduced and costs are down 60%, he says. The electric motor of the new Insight is 15% lighter than that in the Civic Hybrid, with power density increased 24%.

INRETS, a French research academy, projects the number of hybrids sold annually could reach 1 million in 2011, 2 million by 2014 and 5 million by 2020. In 2007, sales totaled 500,000 units.

“The growth of sales should be principally in mature markets, where clients have higher buying power,” says Jean-Bruno Monteil, director of material studies at Mavel. “Awareness of environmental issues is less in developing countries, and the complexity of hybrid drive discourages buyers in emerging markets.”

Mavel also believes virtually all European cars will soon have stop/start capability.

“Stop/start is not very expensive, and hybrids are expensive,” says Mavel’s Jean-Michel Prillieux. “Stop/start is not a hybrid. Cars have had electricity on board for years, with starter motors and headlights. Stop/start is a new electric feature, like ABS (antilock braking systems or EPS (electronic stability program technology).”

In Europe, gasoline hybrids have fierce competition from diesels. The Insight has a carbon-dioxide emissions rating of 101 g/km.

The Ford Focus Econetic with a diesel engine is rated at 115 g/km, and an industry engineer says it costs only about €20 ($30) to convert a conventional 1.6L diesel Focus into a higher-mileage version with a plastic underbody shield, better engine oil and environmentally friendly “green” tires.

The cost to consumers to save a gram of CO2/km is cheaper with a mild gasoline hybrid, such as the Insight, rather than a full hybrid Prius.

In Germany, a Civic Hybrid costs €23,000 ($34,312) and emits 110 g/km of CO2, while a conventional Civic is priced at €20,050 ($30,584) and emits 154 g/km, costing hybrid customers €67 ($100) for each g/km reduction.

A gasoline Toyota Auris costs €19,000 ($28,340) and emits 154 g/km of CO2, while a third-generation Prius is priced at €25,000 ($37,290) and emits 92 g/km, costing hybrid customers €97 ($145) for each g/km reduction.

Mavel’s benchmarking studied the materials used in the cars in detail, and because it has torn down dozens of vehicles, it is able to compare the hybrids’ material usage with an average midsized European car.

The Insight uses 64% ferrous material, more than an average European car. The third-generation Prius is the leader in aluminum use, at 12%. The Prius has an aluminum hood and tailgate as part of its weight-saving strategy, says Bernard Thiebault, Mavel’s director of automotive body benchmarking.

Hybridization has little impact on the bodies of the hybrids, the executive says, noting there is no impact on passive safety but slightly additional weight for battery fixation. The principal design changes to improve performance are aerodynamics on both cars, and mass reduction on the Prius.

Juan Manuel Pedrero, marketing manager for the Spanish consultant, Robotiker Tecnalia, says the U.S. and Japan are ahead in developing electrification technologies, but after a slow start, Europe is pushing hard with a €93 million ($139 million) budget to support cooperative projects next year.

The projects are to be aimed at developing sustainable surface transportation and a 20% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2020.

A European Union document states: “The 2010 call places greater emphasis on breakthrough research aiming at radically new approaches able to respond to societal need in a time horizon of 2015-2020,” when the transport system no longer will be completely reliant on fossil fuels.

Source;

http://wardsauto.com/ar/toyota_honda_hybridization_091130/

Honda Enhances Advantages; Toyota Eliminates Disadvantages

Here's a nice little article showcasing some of the differences between Honda's Hybrid technology and Toyota's Hybrid technology....

Feb 9, 2009 18:49Yoshirou Tsuruhara, Nikkei Automotive Technology


Honda Motor Co Ltd released the Insight hybrid, one of this year's most anticipated new vehicles. Its entry level model is priced at ¥1,890,000 (approx US$20,700) and is ¥440,000 cheaper than the cheapest model of the current-generation Toyota Prius (¥2,331,000) (See related article).

"Considering Toyota's system, I believe they cannot sell Prius at ¥2 million or lower," a Honda staffer said at the presentation of the Insight.

Honda adopted a simple hybrid system composed of one driving motor and a small-capacity secondary battery. In contrast, Toyota's hybrid system is equipped with an independent driving motor and a generator, and the capacity of its battery is more than twice that of Honda's battery. Though Toyota has been working on cost reduction of its hybrid system too, there is a reason why it cannot cut the costs as much as Honda.

Honda achieved a 40% cost reduction by further downsizing the already small battery and motor mounted in the Civic Hybrid, according to the company. However, the fuel economy of the Insight is 30km/L under the 10·15 test mode, which is almost equal to the 31km/L of the Civic Hybrid. So, Honda reduced the cost of its hybrid system by making most of the simplicity of the system while compromising on the fuel economy to some extent.

Meanwhile, the new Prius, which is expected to be released by Toyota in May 2009, features a good highway-driving economy, which was not achieved by previous models.

The existing Prius has a fuel economy of 48MPG (20.4km/L) in the city mode of the US, which is 20% higher than 40MPG (17.0km/L) of the Civic hybrid. However, in the highway mode, the fuel economy of the Prius drops to 45MPG (19.1km/L), while that of the Civic hybrid increases to 45MPG.

The Prius has an advantage in city driving where the vehicle can be driven more efficiently by the motor than by the engine, while it has a disadvantage in highway driving where the engine is mainly used, because the Prius is loaded with heavy motor and battery.

In order to address this disadvantage, the new Prius will be mounted with a 1.8L engine (the engine capacity of the existing Prius is 1.5L). The main purpose of this change is not the enhancement of the output but the reduction of friction loss, which is achieved by generating the same amount of output with a lower revolution speed.

The highway-mode fuel economy of the new Prius has not been disclosed yet, but the fuel economy in the city/highway mixed mode has been improved by about 10% to 50MPG (21.3km/L) from 46MPG (19.6km/L) of the existing model.

However, the new Prius is expected to be more expensive than the current model, reflecting the improvements made to enhance the performance. So, it is likely that the price disparity between the Prius and the Insight will be even larger.

Honda made an effort for cost reduction by capitalizing on its strengths without being overly obsessed with fuel economy, while Toyota focused on its disadvantages and enhanced highway driving fuel economy. It seems that the time has come for hybrid vehicles to highlight their individuality.

Yoshirou Tsuruhara, Nikkei Automotive Technology


Source;
http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20090209/165360/?ST=english_PRINT

The hybrid wars heat up

Found a interesting article on the Hybrid battle between Honda and Toyota.
Honda's new hybrid throws down the gauntlet to Toyota

JEREMY CATO
From Friday's Globe and Mail
E-mail
December 26, 2008 at 4:59 PM EST

PHOENIX — Oil prices are going up. As I sit here writing about Honda's new hybrid, the 2010 Insight, on the desk next to me is the front page of The New York Times declaring that major oil and gas projects now being delayed are setting the stage for "another surge in oil prices once the global economy recovers."

So a spike in the price of oil is really just a matter of time. For Honda right now, the price of oil is not so much an issue of time, but of timing.

That is, will pump prices go back up to the levels of last May/June that looked like they would make the launch of the gas-stingy 2010 Insight hybrid a smashing success?

In the early summer, with oil pushing $140 (U.S.) a barrel and apparently headed to $200 with a bullet — as predicted by Jeff Rubin at CIBC World Markets, among others — a clean emissions fuel sipper like the Insight looked like a slam-dunk winner.

Yet as the Times points out, "oil markets have had their sharpest-ever spikes and their steepest drops this year, all within a few months."

Indeed, by September, with oil prices sliding dramatically and pickup sales actually picking up, Honda nonetheless used the Paris motor show for the worldwide debut of a "concept" version of its new five-door gasoline-electric hatchback.

This hybrid, said Honda officials not quite willing to admit to past mistakes, would challenge rival Toyota's success with the Prius hybrid hatchback ($27,400). The new Honda would be far less expensive than the Prius — perhaps as low as $19,000 — and would thus set new standards in hybrid affordability.

By November, Honda was again teasing the public with more details about the Insight at the Los Angeles auto show. The company said its Insight would not only be cheaper than any other hybrid car on the market it would also become an almost instant best-seller.

The low price, said Honda types, would make it possible to sell 200,000 of the cars each year in Japan, Europe and North America. Toyota has yet to sell 200,000 Prius cars in a single year and it's the world's hybrid best seller.

Honda plans to introduce hybrid versions of other models, too. One is a sporty compact car, a 2+2 hatchback based on the CR-Z concept first shown a year ago at the Tokyo motor show.

The longer-term goal is to sell 500,000 hybrids a year world-wide by early next decade. Toyota, meanwhile, aims to reach annual sales of one million hybrids globally by the same time.

Thankfully, the Insight tease will be officially over by the second week of January. That's when Honda — one of the most secretive car companies in the world — will finally give us the straight goods on the Insight.

But why wait? After all, I am here in Phoenix to drive the Insight and get all the details first-hand. Unfortunately, in return for the chance to drive the car, I've agreed not to share what I've learned here in Arizona until Jan. 11. This is so that Honda can do a one-time global unveiling at the Detroit auto show.

But there is more than one way to tell a story. Using other sources, I've already pieced together almost all you need to know about the Insight.

The price will be in the $20,000-range. Not the mid-$20,000s and not the high-$20,000s, either. Take that, Prius. (For the record, Toyota will unveil a new version of the Prius in January at the Detroit show, though the likelihood of a major price drop is not great.)

Honda has reined in costs for the 2010 Insight by using Honda's existing Integrated Motor Assist hybrid powertrain, though in a smaller package and with lighter components.

Like the Civic Hybrid, the Insight's system combines an electric motor with a 1.3-litre VTEC engine. Its main power source, a highly efficient, lightweight gasoline engine, will be assisted by battery power.

Fuel economy should be in the same range as the Civic Hybrid ($26,350): 4.7 litres/100 km city/4.3 highway, versus 4.0 city/4.2 highway for the Prius.

Toyota's "full" hybrid setup is more fuel-efficient because it more thoroughly weds a battery-powered vehicle with a gasoline engine. The Prius is able to run only on batteries, only on gas, or some combination of the two thanks to smart electronic controls.

As the fuel-economy numbers indicate, Toyota's approach delivers unsurpassed fuel economy in city driving where battery power comes into play for stop-and-go driving. At slower speeds, say crawling through traffic, the Civic Hybrid cannot run on battery power alone and that will be true for the 2010 Insight.

On the other hand, like the Prius, the Insight only will be available as a hybrid. That will appeal to buyers who like to tout their eco-friendly credentials as they commute to work or pull up to the red carpet at the Oscars.

By contrast, the hybrid versions of the Honda Civic, Ford Escape, upcoming Ford Fusion and Toyota Highlander look virtually identical to their gasoline-powered counterparts. All that identifies them as hybrids are some discrete badges saying "hybrid."

So the Insight's ace in the whole, above everything else, is price, rather than image.

My burning question to Honda Canada executive vice-president Jerry Chenkin boils down to this: If oil prices don't go back up by April, if gas stays cheap, isn't the Insight in danger of being a giant and costly flop?

"No. If the price of gas were $1 a litre or 50 cents a litre or $2.00 a litre, Honda would still be developing this product — these products — because it is part of the culture," says Chenkin, a 35-year veteran of the auto industry. "It [the Insight] is not built to combat the price of gas; it's built to preserve the planet."

It's true that Honda does have the most fuel-efficient fleet in North America and that fact bolsters Honda's case as a "green" auto maker. During the glory days of big pickups and SUVs, Honda refused to join the party — although Honda does make a large SUV-like vehicle, the Pilot, and a big minivan, the Odyssey, and a mid-size pickup, the Ridgeline.

This year, Honda's big product introduction was the 2009 Fit ($14,980), which is rated at a healthy if not hybrid-like 7.2 L/100 km city/5.7 highway. The quirky little hatchback is doing well; Chenkin anticipates selling perhaps 20,000 Fits next year in Canada.

Chenkin insists that Honda is a philosophy-driven company and that's why Honda is pushing ahead with the Insight regardless of fuel prices. That same philosophy prevented Honda from pressing ahead with large SUVs and trucks, even when they were big sellers. Despite pressure from dealers, Honda never went ahead with a V-8 engine, either.

"Toyota went in that direction, not us," says an obviously competitive Chenkin.

The point Chenkin and other Honda officials want to make is that the Insight should register with a public familiar with Honda's approach to auto making. That includes a reputation for reliability and handling, not just fuel efficiency.

"Honda's cars seem to have more personality than Toyota's," said Aaron Bragman, an analyst with the research firm Global Insight in Troy, Mich. "Their cars are enjoyable to drive, and not just appliances."

Yes, but Toyota's success with hybrids, and Honda's stumbles with them, clearly grate on Honda officials. The Civic Hybrid barely registers with the public and the Accord Hybrid was cancelled due to an utter lack of interest.

Meanwhile, Toyota's Prius is the runaway leader in the category and Toyota has a handful of other hybrids in its lineup, too.

With the Insight, Honda is issuing its challenge to the Toyota in general and the Prius in particular. In a nutshell, Honda is committed to taking a leadership role in hybrid technology.

"This new Insight will break new ground by providing an affordable hybrid to an expanded number of customers craving great fuel economy and great value," said Takeo Fukui, Honda's CEO, in Paris.

In the end, the picture that emerges of Honda is of a stubborn, go-it-alone auto maker that is determined to learn from its mistakes, and chart its own course. Thus, the Insight concept is a Prius look-alike, but Honda's hybrid technology is vastly different and, in a way, more elegantly simple and highly efficient than Toyota's or Ford's or GM's.

Honda officials argue that its hybrid technology is cost-efficient and, in small commuter cars, it is ideal for squeezing out fuel economy gains and lower emissions in stop-and-go city driving.

Regenerative braking, meanwhile, recharges the onboard battery in all that rush-hour driving.
In a nutshell, Honda wants to sell a fleet of smaller hybrids with smaller sticker prices. The idea is to make hybrid cars mainstream by lowering the price to the point where the fuel economy savings more than offset the price premium.

Cost is one reason why Honda is not pursuing — for now, at least — a pure electric vehicle or plug-in hybrid. Electric cars make no sense until lightweight and affordable lithium ion batteries are available, company officials say.

But Honda may be close to rethinking its electric car stance, having finally inked a partnership with a lithium-ion battery supplier, GS Yuasa, that will manufacture next-generation lithium-ion batteries for Honda's gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles.

Lithium-ion batteries are lighter and more powerful than the nickel-metal hydride batteries used in the current Prius, Civic Hybrid and 2010 Insight, and thus they are seen as the next big advancement in electric cars and hybrids.

This latest move is another signal that Honda plans to be competitive despite a global recession and tight credit that is strangling demand for new vehicles and hurting profitability even at lean, efficient auto makers such as Honda.

Make no mistake, these are challenging times. Honda, Japan's second biggest automaker, recently cut its annual operating profit forecast by two-thirds.

What is most interesting is Honda's response to events. The company has gone into full crisis mode, with a long-term plan for recovery that recognizes oil prices will eventually go back up — and dramatically.

In prepared remarks in Japan last week, CEO Fukui said that Honda will fully concentrate its resources on the development of fuel-efficient products. The keys to achieve this goal are advancements of electromotive technologies including hybrid models as well as motorcycles and small cars.

So even as Honda is cutting spending on everything from Formula One racing (Honda is out of it) to senior executive pay (slashed by 10 per cent), the company is focusing on clean and fuel-efficient technologies.

Oil prices are going up and when they do, Honda plans to be there offering more than just one Insight hybrid.

Source;

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081226.whHybridHondaMain1226/BNStory/specialGlobeAuto/?pageRequested=all

Honda’s Insight looks a lot like the Prius, but that’s just pure coincidence - Huh?

To say that the new Honda Insight and the Toyota Prius look alike is an understatement, however how's this;

Any resemblance between Hondas new Insight, set to go on sale next April, and the Toyota Prius is pure coincidence, according to Honda.

Honda plans to unveil the Insight at the 2008 Paris International Auto Show on Oct. 2 and released images of the vehicle earlier this month. Immediately, automotive publications dubbed the Insight a "Prius fighter" or "Prius killer" -- in part because its design reflects the distinctive egg-shaped Toyota Prius. But Honda spokesman Chuck Schifsky disputes the comparison.

It was done that way because it was the most aerodynamic design, and we were going for fuel economy," Schifsky said.

Schifsky says that the design for the Insight was mainly influenced by the FCX Clarity. The production version of the Honda CR-Z sport hybrid car will also look similar.

Source;
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080914/BUSINESS01/809140416/1014
Orig. Source;
http://www.egmcartech.com/2008/09/15/hondas-insight-looks-a-lot-like-the-prius-but-thats-just-pure-coincidence/#more-25896

New Honda Insight's Comparative Measurements

Inches.