It sips gasoline to the tune of 56 miles per gallon and runs smooth as silk during Richard Rowley’s daily commute to and from Corvallis.
Sweet Home resident Rowley said his new hybrid car, a Honda Insight, has lived up to its press clippings, although Honda brochures list the car’s highway mileage at nearly 70 miles per gallon.
The bright silver two-seater features a three cylinder gasoline engine assisted by an electric motor to stretch stops between gas stations to more than 500 miles.
“We have a Toyota 4-Runner,” Rowley said of the family’s other vehicle. “But, we only get about 20 miles per gallon with it. We needed another car and I wanted better mileage for my commute.”
Although the Insight is a 2000 model, it had been used for display purposes only, Rowley said. He purchased it three months ago with only 18 miles on the odometer.
“It’s designed with fuel economy and safety in mind,” Rowley said. “Look at the rear wheels and you’ll see fender skirts to help reduce air drag.”
Although the Insight is rather small, a two-passenger unit with minimal luggage area, Honda has recently introduced a Civic hybrid version with four doors and more cargo space.
But, for Rowley, whose sons are grown, the Insight is a perfect fit, even for a rather large man.
“When I need the car to accelerate, such as going onto the freeway or up a hill, the electric motor kicks in,” Rowley said. “When the car decelerates, the batteries charge. Or, if the battery reaches one-third charge, the gasoline engine is used to charge them.”
Rowley smiles when he addresses the two most often asked questions about his unusual vehicle.
“It doesn’t come with a plug-in,” Rowley said. “And yes, it can easily run 55 miles per hour. I get it up to 65 in third and it’s a five-speed. It has plenty of power to get across an intersection. It’s not a race car but it runs very well.”
Rowley plans to take the vehicle to his authorized Honda dealer for service but says other than that, he doesn’t see much difference between his car and any other on the street, except that his goes about twice as far on a gallon of gasoline.
“It came with a three-year, 36,000 miles warranty but I bought an extended warranty to seven years and 100,000 miles,” Rowley said.
A 144 volt battery rests under the car’s carpeted luggage area and the body is made of light weight aluminum Rowley said.
“When I put the air conditioner unit in economy mode, the gasoline engine actually shuts down when I pull to a stop and then restarts when I put the transmission in gear,” Rowley said.
As for changing the way he drives, Rowley said his only deviation has been slowing the car using the engine instead of the brakes to allow the battery to charge.
The Rowleys haven’t taken the Insight on a cross country road trip yet but have made several trips to Salem and Springfield and find it to be very comfortable.
“I actually made the decion based on monetary, rather than ecological reasons,” Rowley said. “I like the idea though that it is ecologically sound.
Based on his current usage, Rowley expects to save about $700 per year on fuel. The government is also offering state and federal tax incentives to hybrid vehicle buyers. The federal clean fuel tax deduction is up to $3000 based over five years. Oregon offers a $750 tax credit or 25 percent of the cost, whichever is less.
Rowley said he was surprised though to learn that in Oregon the vehicle’s registration cost more than a conventional vehicle.
“They figure that since we buy less fuel, we pay less road taxes and therefore, they make up for some of that by charging a higher registration fee,” Rowley said.
Rowley said the car always causes passersby to look and often ask questions.
“Recently, we passed another one just like it on the way to Salem,” Rowley said. “Both of us had big grins on our face.”