Five Honda Vehicles Earn Recognition on ACEEE's List of "Greenest" and "Greener" Vehicles of 2013

TORRANCE, Calif., Jan. 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Five Honda vehicles have earned recognition from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) for superior environmental performance, including three Honda vehicles that have been named among the ACEEE's "greenest vehicles of 2013." In the annual ACEEE's "Green Book^® Online" ranking of environmentally responsible vehicles, the zero emissions, 100-percent electric Honda Fit EV placed second on the "greenest" list and was joined by two Honda hybrid models – the Insight and Civic Hybrid – on the ACEEE's list of the 12 most environmentally responsible, "greenest"  vehicles available to the public.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100923/HONDALOGO)

The fun and fuel-efficient subcompact Honda Fit and the Honda Odyssey minivan were also named as "greener choices of 2013" within their respective classes. This is the 15th straight year that multiple Honda vehicles have been named in the top 12.  

"The recognition by ACEEE of Honda's alternative fuel and fuel-efficient vehicles over the past 15 years further validates our commitment to create and deliver more energy-efficient, low emissions mobility solutions for society," said Steven Center, vice president of the Environmental Business Development Office at American Honda Motor Co., Inc.  "Honda's vision for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, which is reflected in our environmental slogan of "Blue Skies for our Children," inspires us to lead and innovate in every aspect of our operations, from our product engineering and manufacturing practices to our upstream sales and service activities."

The ACEEE ranking system uses a singular measure that incorporates fuel economy and health-related pollution impacts plus global warming and upstream emissions. All vehicles are analyzed and given a "Green Score" which is used to rank each vehicle's total environmental performance, including a list of the 12 "greenest" and 12 "meanest" vehicles along with a ranking of greenest vehicles by segment.

The Honda Fit EV is part of Honda's diverse and growing portfolio of advanced alternative-fuel and fuel-efficient vehicles and has an EPA combined mile-per-gallon-equivalency rating of 118 MPGe¹. Based on the popular five-door, five-passenger Fit and Fit Sport, the 100-percent electric Fit EV features a 20-kilowatt-hour (kWh) Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) battery and a compact 92-kilowatt (123 horsepower) AC synchronous electric motor that produced 189 ft-lb of motor torque. This efficient powertrain is teamed with a fully independent suspension and a driver-selectable 3-mode drive system. The result is a fun-to-drive EV with an EPA combined city/highway driving range rating of 82 miles¹.

When connected to a 240-volt circuit, the Fit EV battery can be recharged (from a low charge indicator illumination point²) in less than three hours. When connected to a charging device, charging can be monitored, scheduled, started or stopped by an included Fit EV interactive remote control, by an available smartphone application, or by any web-enabled device, such as a laptop or tablet PC. 

The Fit EV is available for lease ($389/month or three years) in select markets in California and Oregon, and will be launching in select Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey and New York markets in the spring.

Honda's Environmental Leadership

Honda has a long history of environmental innovation, including the retail introduction of America's first hybrid (1999 Honda Insight), delivery of the first fuel-cell electric vehicle in the U.S. (2002 Honda FCX) and the first gasoline-powered vehicles in the hands of consumers to meet stricter emissions standards, including: the 1996 Honda Civic, the first gasoline Low Emissions Vehicle (LEV); the 1998 Honda Accord, the first gasoline Ultra-Low Emissions Vehicle (ULEV); the 2000 Honda Accord, the first gasoline Super Ultra-Low Emissions Vehicle (SULEV); the 2001 Civic Natural Gas, the first vehicle to qualify as an Advanced Technology Partial-Zero Emissions Vehicle (AT-PZEV); and the 2014 Honda Accord Plug-In, the first Super Ultra-Low Emissions 20 Vehicle (LEV 3/SULEV 20), now available for lease and sale in California and New York state.

For more information or downloadable high-resolution images of Honda award winners and other Honda vehicles, please visit www.hondanews.com. Consumer information is available at www.honda.com. For more information on ACEEE, visit http://www.greenercars.org.

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¹ 132/105/118 city/highway/combined miles per gallon of gasoline-equivalent (MPGe) rating; 82 mile combined (city/highway) driving range rating (adjusted). Ratings determined by U.S. EPA. Your MPGe and range will vary depending on driving conditions, how you drive and maintain your vehicle, battery age/condition, and other factors. For additional information about EPA ratings, visit http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/label/learn-more-electric-label.shtml.

² From low-charge indicator illumination point to full charge.

SOURCE American Honda Motor Co., Inc.