What type of battery was used in the first-generation Honda Insight?

The first-generation Honda Insight used nickel-metal hydride batteries. Honda’s original Insight, launched in 1999, employed the company’s Integrated Motor Assist system, or IMA, with a compact electric motor mounted on the engine’s crankshaft.

Its battery pack sat behind the two seats and consisted of 120 commercial-grade D-cell-sized NiMH batteries. Together they provided a nominal 144 volts and a capacity of 6.5 amp-hours. The pack supplied electric assistance during acceleration and recovered energy during deceleration through regenerative braking.

The first-generation Insight was a lightweight two-seat hatchback designed around exceptional fuel economy. Its hybrid system was relatively simple compared with later plug-in and lithium-ion systems: the gasoline engine remained central, while the electric motor supplied additional torque and acted as a generator.

Lithium-ion batteries became common in later hybrid and electric vehicles, but they were not the battery chemistry used in this original Insight generation. Solid-state batteries were not production technology for the car, and lead-acid batteries were unsuitable for the required automotive performance and packaging.