EPA estimates of the Insight are not reflecting real world driving, plain and simple. EPA estimates Prius to be 19% more efficient than Insight: 50 vs 42. So why does UK estimate the Prius to be only 5% more efficient than Insight: 72.4 vs 68.9. And how is it that I get 50+ mpg in my 2010 insight under normal driving (calculated myself after each fillup). The Prius C wasn’t available at the time but if I was in the market today I would be looking closely at both, and I would want to know the real deal about the Insight mpg.

David, you're right but heat pumps are only good for mild winter weather. Here in Boston we don't use heat pumps much because it doesn't work in extreme cold when you need heat the most.

I'm a big supporter of lighter and therefore more efficient cars but heavier is safer when crashing into another car. That's just physics. These head-on crash tests only mimic a car crashing into an anchored object like a utility pole. To mimic crashing into a typical car the barrier should be 3000 lbs and needs to be on tracks.

The plug in prius should be slightly safer in my opinion.

More efficient heater? I don't buy it. All electric heaters are around 100 percent efficient. The only way to get more range with the heating system is using some of that heat make the battery feel like it's spring time.

This would make me buy the Leaf over the volt: an optional light range extender that would allow me to limp home at 35 mph or pull over while a tank of gasoline recharges the battery. On-board extender would be nice but a tow-able I can rent would be almost as good.

Questions for Volvo:
1) At extreme cold temperatures, does the driving range increase if some of the battery charge (not the ethanol fueled heater) is used to heat the battery itself?
2) Is the battery pack and/or roof insulated from heat loss?

I can only be cautiously optimistic after failed promises from EEStor, Altairnano, Fireflyenergy just to name a few. Having said that, I really hope you guys can pull this off.

If you build it we will buy it.

NiMH batteries, while heavier, do not have this problem. That’s probably why Toyota has stayed with NiMH in the regular Prius while using Li-ion in the plug-in Prius. Here’s a video of Doug Korthof explaining the history of EV batteries. You’ve seen him in Who Killed the Electric Car. RIP, Doug. You will be missed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDRBRuvct54

A "partial hybrid" or "mild hybrid" is used to describe cars like BMWs sold in Europe with no electric motor and re-gen to a starter battery. The Insight does not fall into this category.

What’s shown on the dash in both cars is about 3 mpg higher than actual. "54 is actually more like 51. Same goes for your "57".

A fair comparison is the EPA website owner reported logs which show the 2 cars neck and neck in mpg.

I have a lot of respect for e-journalists. They have to patiently put up with trolls who can’t read.

Oh yes it does. It will even cruise at highway speeds on electric only, with a tiny 15 hp electric motor. On a flat road it’s only for a few seconds but you’d be surprised how often you use electric only mode on typical roads that have inclines and declines. I don’t want to get into a semantic argument on what a full hybrid is, but what most consumers care about is real world mpg that the media needs to do a better job at reporting – that would be you, John. Chop chop...

I average "54" mpg on my Insight. I won’t get into the difference between what the dash displays and actual. Honda’s IMA is a full hybrid system - you could even say it’s a simpler and more elegent one. I do like the Prius, just not enough to pay $5K more.