1998 Accord Model First to Earn ULEV Certification
4 September 1997
1998 Accord Model First to Earn ULEV Certification
TORRANCE, Calif., Sept. 4 -- The 1998 Honda Accord has become
the first gasoline-powered vehicle ever to receive "Ultra Low Emission
Vehicle" (ULEV) certification from the California Air Resources Board (CARB),
American Honda Motor, Co., Inc., announced today.
The ULEV-certified Accord will be sold in California and several
Northeastern states including Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York. It
will be an Accord EX model equipped with a 4-cylinder, 2.3-liter, 148-
horsepower engine and a 4-speed automatic transmission. Honda expects to sell
more than 20,000 of the vehicles once they go on sale Sept. 25.
"This Accord is the cleanest gasoline vehicle we've ever certified," said
John D. Dunlap, CARB chairman. "It's two years in advance of when it will be
required, but then Honda has consistently been on the forefront of bringing
low emission technology to the marketplace."
Honda previously announced it would voluntarily begin selling vehicles
meeting California's Low Emission Vehicle (LEV) standard in all 50 states with
the introduction of the '98 Accord. More than 240,000 Accords will feature
the LEV or ULEV advanced low emission technology.
"We're committed to bringing advanced clean air technology to consumers as
soon as possible, not just when required by law," said Tom Elliott, American
Honda executive vice president. "It's one thing to talk about your commitment
to the environment. It's another thing to prove it in the marketplace."
The new ULEV-certified Accord reduces hydrocarbon emissions by about
75 percent compared to California's 1998 manufacturers fleet average
requirement. It features Honda's patented VTEC engine design which allows for
a leaner air/fuel mixture than other engines in cold-start conditions,
reducing emissions while the catalytic converter is warming up.
A fast warm-up catalytic converter provides additional early control of
emissions without the need for an electric heater. Software developments in
computer control of the air/fuel ratio, along with a 32-bit risc computer, the
most powerful in any automobile, also play key roles in reducing emissions.
The ULEV Accord has the same EPA 23/30 city/highway fuel economy rating as
other Accord models equipped with the 2.3-liter VTEC engine and automatic
transmission.
All Accords are built at Honda of America Manufacturing's (HAM) Marysville
Auto Plant in Ohio. The Accord ULEV engine will be manufactured at HAM's Anna
Engine Plant.
Honda was the first manufacturer to offer a gasoline-powered car meeting
California's LEV standard when the 1996 Civic was introduced. It also will
sell those models in all 50 states beginning in the 1998 model year and as a
result, more than half of all Honda vehicles sold in the U.S. will feature
advanced low emission technology.
Earlier this year, Honda began leasing in California the EV PLUS, the
first production electric vehicle to use advanced nickel-metal hydride battery
technology. In addition, the company has announced plans to market the Civic
GX natural gas powered vehicle during the 1998 model year, which will feature
the cleanest internal combustion engine ever made, producing "almost zero
emissions."
SOURCE American Honda Motor, Co., Inc.