OK - it was mentioned before, and I agree - the wimpy little "hybrid" on the transom is a little too subtle.

Anybody bring the hybrid nature of their HCH out into the open, other than a license plate? Especially something involving lights, or even plasma ( those tubes with the moving spark inside ) :) ?

I'm thinking of maybe just some green LED's inside the "hybrid" badge. That would be a start, if it's easy to pull off, or even order a replacement to experiment with.

Between PC modders and the auto stores, there must be something that will attract some attention. Maybe a tri-led fan in the ventilation grid on the back deck?

Perry

Perry:

No fancy lights or anything, but between the stock "HYBRID" badge, my "Greenhybrid.com" license plate frame and my "Support a Saudi, Get a Hummer" bumper sticker I usually get 5 or 6 inquiries a week. Not to mention the bemused faces I frequently see in my rear view mirror.

I LOVE THIS CAR!!

Mark

Haha. You mean no GreenHybrid bumper sticker?? :D jk

If I ever pass you on the highway, I'll know it's you, eh.

Sometimes I'd like to add some more hybrid flash to my car, but most of the time just the plain 'ol car look.
It still throws me off sometimes wondering what people want.....when they drive along side and scan over my dashbord. (Usually other Civic driver/pasengers)

Often in that case I've put aside that I'm driving a hybrid.

I like the green LED behind the Hybrid lettering, can picture it as really cool.
Wonder if it is possible to remove that lettering without wrecking the paint?

Hi NH-HCH:

___You could always take a can of green spray paint and just paint the front driver and passenger side doors with the word “HYBRID” if you wanted attention? Just kidding of course ;)

___Personally, I enjoy the challenge of spotting the few HCH’s I see on my commute. That center mounted antennae is the only item that sets it off when I see them coming up from behind. I believe the frontal air intake is slightly different as well but I am not looking that closely.

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net

Wayne,
You are correct, the front air dam has a vertical bar down the center, but that is only on the old ones. The new ones the only difference i've noticed is the one bar flat grill and the antena. (i swear, i see more hybrids from 03+ than the normal civic)
Cheers,
Steven

I "unstealthed" my HCH last Friday
 

I finally received my personalized plates on Friday, about a month after ordering them...:angry:

My rear plate (in AZ only rear is required) now reads:

HIGHMPG

I got my first comment Saturday nite at the drive-in movie. The guy parked next to me asked about the Hybrid, what my MPG was, etc. Did not ask about a plug, so points for that !!:)

He said he was mildly interested in replacing his 12 year old Toyota pickup and I told him to go for it !!!

05 HCH also has a tiny fin/kick up, on back edge of trunk- none of the other civic models have it. that's how we found them in the dealers lot. I use the antenna from the front & the trunk from the rear. I've only seen one civic and one prius so far though.....
I'm too cheap to pay ny dmv for custom plates- it's an annual charge, not one time. :angry:
I love the car, but I think people only notice when they're behind me on hills....

I was just thinking the other way around
 

WIth gas price rising and these cars "hot" i'm thinking of removing the hybrid designation to make it look like all the rest.......Pete

I'd love to remove the Hybrid emblem, install a green acrylic backing and illuminate with LED's, but am too afraid of peelling the paint while removing it.

I've also considered 2-3 high output LED's mounted bumper top, focused on the HYBRID emblem for night viewing, but I'd have to drill through the bumper.

Another idea:
You know, there is an indentation on the center console between the shift bezel and the storage area....I suppose used to keep small odds & ends. My cell phone fits right in there.

I was thinking of using that indentation to put a small control panel consisting of an on/off switch and also 2 push buttons, one for "UP", the other for "Down".
Also on this tiny control panel could be a 2-digit numeric display that the up & down buttons would manipulate a counter ranging from 40-99.

Why?
I could "Dial in" the MPG on my control panel.
Here's the trick...There would be a 2nd display to mimic the small display, much larger and mounted on the rear deck or bumper.
That way folks could see my MPG.

Probably a stupid idea anyway so I haven't persued it.

Hi All:

___If you want to dress up your HCH, why not do something like this?

http://www.driveaccord.net/forums/at...tid=1294&stc=1

___That is not me in the pic ;)

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net

scrolling message sign
 

Hi y'all,
My wife and I are new to this forum, just bought our Honda last weekend & love it so far.

Definitely would like to let the world know that we are "driving green." How about this: I found a programmable electronic (LED) scrolling sign that you can mount in your back window, can power it off car DC supply, its made for the car and only costs $59! Available at www.batteryspace.com (search on scrolling sign).

I think I'll buy one and just have it "Honda HYBRID 48mpg!" continuously...

....cruisin' in the Smoky Mountains....
Kevin

tn dancer,

Welcome to the forum! It is great to have another TN hybrid driver. I hope if you get the sign you will have to change it to a higher number than 48 :) .

Billy

I was thinking about getting a tag that says GOT MPG? or maybe HY MPG.
Can't make up my mind though.

If we have an electrical engineer on the forum, it would be cool to tap the car's "realtime" mileage and link it to the LED scroller . . . that way all the H2 drivers can have even more reason to flip us off when they go roaring by . . .

Green hybrid badging & license plate
 

FYI: Anyone in Virginia who's thinking about a vanity plate, 44MPG-63MPG has been taken, HOWEVER 0xxMPG seems to be available. I considered 050MPG for a while, then opted for the standard Clean Special Fuel tags.

Backlit green Hybrid badge. So I've been mulling this one over for the past few days, and I think I'm going to give it a shot. Need to order a replacement badge to experiment with. I'd LIKE to use an Indiglo type backing, but have NO IDEA where to get one. Any ideas? If I can't find that, I'll go with the superbright micro green leds. I'll make sure to post pictures when done.

BTW: Anyone worried about removing their paint when taking off the Hybrid badge -- don't. Use dental floss, and "floss off" your badge (e.g. floss between the badge and the car to remove the sticky stuff). Then, use any amonia based cleaner (windex would work) to get the sticky stuff off. I've done this on a number of cars in the past and have only had success...

californeon
 

Humm, while searching for something to backlight the 'Hybrid' badge I found this stuff called Californeon http://www.californeon.net/ has anyone had any experience with it? I'm curious to know if I can cut the neon tape without damaging the glow effect...

Electroluminescent Foil!!!!
 

Look! http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=7963617201


It's SO CLOSE to perfect. The Hybrid badge is about 6.5" long, and this is 5.3" long. Gerrr! I may very well order two of these to use. It even runs off 12 volts!

Alright I decided to go ahead and buy the electroluminescent foil. If cut diagionally then the badge should fit right in. Gotta to stop by Honda to order a new badge tomorrow -- I'll m ake sure to keep everyone posted. :D :D :D

Ok so I bought a sheet of the blue foil and a sheet of the green foil, along with some micro green LEDs. The dealership has a replacement HYBRID badge available for $26, which I'll pickup tomorrow. In case anyone else is interested in pertaking this venture, this is what I've found so far.

Instructions on cutting electroluminescent foil: http://www.cooltronix.com/ebay/diy/

Green foil from some guy on ebay for like $11.95. 205 pcs available:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=3463449990

Micro green LEDs from some guys ebay store:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=3880553464

My plan is to use the blue sheet as a test piece. I'm curious to know if I can fold the positive leed of the foil in half (so it's behind the badge). Trace out the badge pattern and leave at most 1mm of luminescent foil sticking out. This should be subtle and hardly noticable. If the foil doesn't work, then I'll try embedding the micro LEDs into the back of the badge. Ideas always welcomed!

I Picked up the badge today, just waiting on the foil. I did find the HYBRID badge cheaper online here:

http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/...tcgry5=EMBLEMS

only $15.07 -- 10 bucks cheaper than the dealer.

I've ordered a ton of stuff from Majestic for my s2000. They have great prices and ship things FAST! Also they have some very knowledable folks in the parts department as well. You can order honda-specific shop tools etc..

I can't wait to see the modded hybrid badge!

Re: Best way to Un-stealth the HCH
 

I've been looking at a windshield "shade" with lettering, H Y B R I D between the tint band and the glass. As for the back, I like the "light up" emblem idea, but don't want to run the wires thru the metal. How about moding the deck lid "moulding/handle" above the licence plate, perhaps with a green see-thru backlit HYBRID?

Re: Best way to Un-stealth the HCH
 

I was wondering if I am the only HCH driver that will sometimes stop way to the Left side of the lane at a stop sign or light.
Sometimes I'll do that so the hybrid emblem is right smack in front of the driver behind and more easlily noticed.

Re: Best way to Un-stealth the HCH
 

I don't do that but sometimes I catch myself speeding up a little to get the hybrid emblem just in front of the driver in the SUV next to me. lol

Re: Best way to Un-stealth the HCH
 

Sometimes I'll go out of my way to park next to an SUV or truck!