Honda resurrects the Insight name for its upcoming hybrid; new clean air rules for small engines; and Siemens makes fake eco-friendly cellphones.

Paris Preview: Honda Insight concept to be new global hybrid: Honda will revive the Insight name and borrow heavily from the body styling of its well-received FCX Clarity when it debuts the company’s new dedicated hybrid vehicle. While still officially a “design concept,” photos released Thursday will probably be quite close to the production car. Honda has vowed to bring the Insight to market well under the price point of Toyota’s popular Prelude. Honda will send about 100,000 units to the United States next year. Look for a peek at the upcoming Paris Aito Show. (Autoblog Green)

E.P.A. Issues New Engine Rules: It’s long been known that smaller engines, such as those which power lawnmowers, produce more pollution than car and truck powerplants. But that’s changing. the United States Environmental Protection Agency Thursday unveiled new clean air requirements for boats and laen equipment under 25 horsepower. The rules will begin to go into effect in 2010. Experts believe the more stringent standards will require the use of catalytic converters, now common in automobiles. the EPA believes the regulations will produce much cleaner air during the summer, when lawn equipment is in heaviest use and outdoor activity is highest. (New York Times)

Sharp Develops New Technique to Halve Solar Cell Production Costs: Sharp claims it has developed a method for radically reducing the production cost of thin solar cells. The process — said to halve the amount of material and energy required for current cells — involves a substrata which is exposed to molten silicon. The cell is then trimmed by a laser. While the company is still holding details close to its chest, Sharp says the new process is designed for production on an industrail scale. (Good Clean Tech)

Transformers 2 Volt’s secret identity revealed!: Last week, we cited Autoblog Green’s sighting of what appeared to bea production Chevy Volt electric car on the set of the movie Transformers 2. Edmunds and others now report the car is actually a very thorough movie prop — a fiberglass shell built over an existing vehicle. While it’s likely the faux Volt closely resembles the real thing, we’ve still not seen the real McCoy. GM is expected to show its hand this month. (Autoblog Green)

Siemens EcoPhones a Big Maybe : If only they weren’t just mock-ups. Siemens is showing off concepts for more earth-friendly cellphones. The sleek looking mockups are designed to be made from eco-plastics and pourable woods, and at least one is solar powered. But Siemens says they’re just concept phones — for now. No works on whether any of the new green technologies might find their way to more conventional phones. (EcoGeek)

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