By
Greentech Lead Team:
Honda has delivered a 2013 Fit EV battery-electric vehicle to the city of
Torrance as one of the first major steps in the Honda Electric Vehicle
Demonstration Program.
“This
is an exciting day as we take another important step toward Honda’s
comprehensive vision for reducing CO2 emissions while at the same time
advancing our relationship with the city of Torrance. Honda has a long history
with electric vehicles starting with the introduction of our first
battery-electric car, the EV Plus, nearly 15 years ago. With Honda’s extensive
experience and the real-world feedback from the city of Torrance, we will be
even more prepared for the further customer adoption of electric
vehicles,” said Steve Center, vice president of the Environmental Business
Development Office at American Honda.
Honda and
the city of Torrance have worked together to gather input from Torrance
residents about potential recharging station locations and jointly participated
in numerous public awareness events with a Fit EV test vehicle. Honda and the
city will continue to further these initiatives while also studying local
government fleet usage of an electrified vehicle.
The city of
Torrance will also receive a Honda plug-in hybrid for additional testing at a
later date.
“Today,
in our partnership with Honda and their continuing efforts in renewable
technologies, we will be driving into a more sustainable future,” said
city of Torrance Mayor Frank Scotto.
Honda
unveiled the 2013 Fit EV at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show and announced plans
to begin leasing the 123 city-mile per charge (76 mile range combined adjusted
city/highway) battery-electric commuter vehicle to its U.S. customers in the
summer of 2012. Equipped with a 20 kWh lithium-ion battery and 92 kW
coaxial electric motor, the Fit EV battery can be fully recharged in as little
as 3 hours when connected to a 240-volt circuit.
As part of
the Honda Electric Vehicle Demonstration Program, Honda will test the Fit EV
with Google Inc. and Stanford University, in addition to the City of Torrance,
California. Each program participant will provide Honda with real-world
feedback on the Fit EV. Individually, each participant will use the Fit EV to
further initiatives such as research into human behavior and various usages
like personal, fleet and car-sharing.
In 2006,
Honda became the first automaker to announce voluntary CO2 emissions reduction
targets for its global fleet of automobile, powersports and power equipment
products and its global network of manufacturing plants. The company is
striving for even greater reductions in CO2 emissions that contribute to global
climate change, while also working to minimize waste, water use and the total
environmental footprint of its operations worldwide.