Five Honda vehicles earned recognition from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) as being among the “greenest vehicles of 2011” with the natural gas-powered Civic GX earning the title of America’s greenest vehicle for the eighth time. In the annual ACEEE’s “Green Book Online” ranking of environmentally responsible vehicles (available at www.greenercars.org), the near-zero emissions natural gas-powered Civic GX ranked first with the Civic Hybrid and Insight also included of the list of ACEEE’s 12 most environmentally responsible vehicles available to the public. The CR-Z Sport Hybrid coupe and Odyssey minivan were also named as the “greenest vehicles” within their respective classes. This is the 11th year in a row that a Honda vehicle has received the number one ranking and the 13th straight year that multiple Honda vehicles have been named in the top 12.
“The highest level of recognition from ACEEE further illustrates Honda’s long standing commitment to developing vehicles that feature both outstanding fuel economy and low emissions,” said John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda. “Honda is honored to have its vehicles recognized as among the ‘greenest’ by an organization dedicated exclusively to environmental efficiency and sustainability.”
The ACEEE ranking system uses a singular measure that incorporates fuel economy and health-related pollution impacts plus global warming and up stream emissions. All vehicles are analyzed and given a “Green Score” which is used to rank a 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 Civic GX is the only OEM-built, dedicated CNG passenger car assembled in America and the only vehicle certified by the EPA to meet both Federal Tier 2 Bin 2 and Inherently Low Emission Vehicle (ILEV) zero evaporative emission certification standards. Honda recently announced the expansion of Civic GX retail sales. The increased availability of the Civic GX helps bring inherently clean-burning natural gas technology to an even broader audience while also supporting diversity in transportation energy resources.
Honda has a long history of environmental innovation, including the retail introduction of America’s first hybrid, the Honda Insight (1999), delivery of the first fuel cell-electric vehicle in the U.S., the FCX (2002) and the first gasoline-powered vehicles in the hands of consumers to meet stricter emissions standards, including:
- The first gasoline Low Emissions Vehicle (LEV), the 1996 Honda Civic.
- The first gasoline Ultra-Low Emissions Vehicle (ULEV), the 1998 Honda Accord.
- The first gasoline Super Ultra-Low Emissions Vehicle (SULEV), the 2000 Honda Accord.
- The first vehicle to quality as an Advanced Technology Partial-Zero Emissions Vehicle (AT-PZEV), the 2001 Civic Natural Gas vehicle.
About the American Council for an Energy-Efficiency Economy (ACEEE)
The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy is an independent, nonprofit research group dedicated to advancing energy efficiency as a means of promoting economic prosperity, energy security and environmental protection.
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.
[CNG] denotes compressed natural gas fuel.
[P] denotes premium gasoline
a A listing with two emission standards (e.g., Tier 2 bin 2 / PZEV) denotes a single vehicle carrying both a federal and a California emission certification. Green Scores for such listings reflect the cleaner of the two certifications.
b Compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicle fuel economy is given in gasoline-equivalent miles per gallon.
c Electric vehicle fuel economy is given in miles per kilowatt-hour
d The Smart Fortwo Electric Drive scores 60, but is not eligible for the Greenest list due to low sales volume. Only 250 units of the 2011 Smart Fortwo EV will be available on a trial basis in the U.S.
*Using domestically and globally sourced parts