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Besides achieving cleaner exhaust gas and improved fuel economy for Honda automobiles, efforts are under way to improve the recyclability of the products themselves, and to reduce the use of harmful substances such as lead in their production. |
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| Main targets for and achievements in fiscal 2001 in Japan |
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Targets
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Expansion of "Excellent" low emission vehicles and "Ultra" low emission vehicles by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and improvement in average fuel economy by category |
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Improving the recyclability |
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Achievements
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Additional approval for 12 models as "Excellent" low emission vehicles (Total: 27 models), 3 models as "Ultra" low emission vehicles (Total: 4 models) by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport |
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Average fuel economy of the 6 categories: Improvement in all of the categories and satisfaction by 5 categories of the target values for fuel economy set for fiscal 2010 |
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Recyclability of 90% or higher (all new models and fully changed models in fiscal 2001) |
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Progress in the Targets to be Achieved by 2005 with Cleaner Exhaust Gas
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| Honda has given high priority to cleaner exhaust gas emissions in gasoline-powered vehicles, which are the most popular vehicles on the road. We have worked to reduce emissions such as carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC), and nitrogen oxides (NOx) contained in the exhaust gas. |
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Up to fiscal 2005 : To reduce the total exhaust emissions of HC and NOx by approximately 75% for new vehicles (compared with fiscal 1995)*1 |
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Up to fiscal 2002 : To achieve a clean performance that exceeds the 2000 exhaust emissions standards of Japan by 50% or more for all vehicles |
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| As a result of our efforts described later, we were able to achieve the following progress in fiscal 2001. |
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Total HC emission level: Reduced by approx. 70%
(as compared with 1995)*2
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Total NOx emission level: Reduced by approx. 71%
(as compared with 1995)*2 |
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Types with a performance capability of achieving emissions of 50% or more below the 2000 exhaust emissions standards of Japan 91% of all types sold*2.
(the Honda LEV*3 and "Excellent" or "Ultra" low emission vehicles under "the Low Emission Vehicles' Approval System of Japan" *4 of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport) |
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Note 1) Percentage calculated based on the total emission of types regulated by the 2000 exhaust emissions standards
Note 2) For fiscal 2000 (the year following the first announcement of the targets) and fiscal 2001, the numbers of types classified as "other than Honda LEV and vehicles approved as low emission vehicles" are shown. |
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Target applicable to Japan |
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Results in Japan (excluding mini trucks) |
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Honda LEV: Low emission vehicle (LEV) developed by Honda, whichare equipped with low emission engines and reduces the emissions of CO, HC and NOx to 10% of the 1978 exhaust emissions standards of Japan. Based on its own standards, Honda qualifies some of its vehicles as Honda LEV.
(Presently, however, we do not classify our new models as Honda LEV and instead classify them under the Low Emission Vehicles' Approval System of Japan started by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.) |
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In order to give greater impetus to the use of low emission vehicles, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of Japan has instituted this approval system. The low emission vehicles with HC and NOx emission levels below the 2000 exhaust emissions standards are classed into 3 categories for approval.
25% reduction on the standards: "Good"
50% reduction on the standards: "Excellent"
75% reduction on the standards: "Ultra" |
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| 1. Models/Types and Sales Results for Honda LEV and Vehicles Approved as Low Emission Vehicles by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of Japan |
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| 2. Improvement in the Emission Performance of HondaÕs Main Models |
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| Diagonal flow converter catalyzer |
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Fit, released in June 2001, was approved as an "Excellent" low emission vehicle by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of Japan. The catalyzer purifying air pollutants in exhaust gas is activated at a certain temperature. For Fit, the rear exhaust system is adopted to reduce the distance to the catalyzer and the volume to reduce the heat loss of the exhaust gas. By these measures, the catalyzer is activated more promptly, thereby improving the purifying performance at cold start. Furthermore, we have adopted the diagonal converter catalyzer, which purifies exhaust gas more efficiently than the direct converter catalyzer because of the increased contact of exhaust gas with the catalyzer's cell surface achieved by diagonal flow.
Other technologies adopted
· Rapid combustion by the i-DSI system
· Reduction of HC at cold start by the adoption of the highly atomizing injector
· Reduction of NOx by the electric-motored EGR*1
CIVIC Hybrid, released in December 2001, adopts the high-density 900 cells catalyzer and Honda's unique lean-burn*2 NOx-absorbing catalyzer and is approved as "Ultra" low emission vehicle by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of Japan.
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Exhaust Gas Recirculation: By returning part of exhaust gas to the mixed gas to be inhaled to the cylinder, the combustion temperature is lowered and NOx is reduced.
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Lean-burn refers to combustion of lean mixture. This technology is to burn the fuel in a mixture of air-fuel ratio higher than theoretical ratio to operate the engine. |
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