 |
 |
|
 |
|
Used in everyday life and often in the natural
environment, Power Equipment must be “clean, easy to use, tough, and durable.”
To meet these requirements, Honda has been using 4-stroke e-SPEC engines with excellent environmental performance for all its power equipment from the outset.
Since the beginning of the 1990s, Power Equipment has been required
to meet various environmental regulations. In response, Honda has applied its
environmental technologies also to its Power Equipment. We have released a wider
range of products that comply with the world’s more strict exhaust emission
regulations. |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Used in everyday life and often in the natural environment,
Power Equipment must be “clean, easy to use, tough, and durable.” To
this end, Honda has been using 4-stroke engines for all its Power Equipment from
the outset, believing that 4-stroke engines are the best choice due to their excellent environmental
performance in terms of exhaust gas, fuel economy, and operating noise. Since
the beginning of the 1990s, Power Equipment have been required to be environment-friendly
against the backdrop of worldwide enhanced environmental awareness. Following
this trend, we have continued to make numerous improvements to our products, based
on the use of environment-friendly 4-stroke engines. As a result, our Power Equipment
have achieved emission levels far below the levels set by the following regulations:
the Boden Lake regulations set in Europe for outboard engines, and the EPA and
CARB (California Air Resources Board) regulations set in the U.S. for multipurpose
engines. |
|
One of the well-known exhaust emission regulations for outboard
engines is the Boden Lake regulations, which were put into effect in Europe in
1993. To meet these regulations, Honda input technologies to make the air-fuel
mixture leaner and to optimize ignition timing. One year earlier than the enforcement
of the regulations, we released a number of outboard engines that met these regulations.
In the U.S., the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has enforced
marine engine exhaust emissions regulations, which are to become increasingly
strict in phases from 1998 to 2006. In 2001, all 17 models in Honda’s outboard engine lineup achieved emissions far below the regulation standards of 2006. We are further
expanding our clean exhaust outboard engine lineup and improving their performance.
For example, in 2000, we released the BF8/BF9.9, which is the world’s lightest
4-stroke outboard engine with the highest durability in its class and has achieved
emission levels far below the standards set by the CARB 2008 standards. Furthermore,
in 2001, we released the world’s largest outboard engine, the BF225, as one
that represents our efforts to make a “high quality, 4-stroke outboard engine
that is both user and environment friendly and economical.” This engine complies
with the 2008 CARB standards.
Subsequently, in 2006, we released the BF90 and BF75. Developed on the base of the 1.5-liter engine contained in the Fit, these engines feature Honda’s programmed fuel injection (PGM-FI) system, the VTEC mechanism, and an O2 feedback sensor, and have outstanding exhaust performance far below the US CARB emission standards for 2008, the EPA’s emission standards for 2006, and the voluntary emission standards set in Japan. |
|
In 1995, for the first time in the world, California introduced
exhaust emissions regulations for Power Equipment. In response, Honda has been
improving the clean performance of its Power Equipment with the goal of meeting
the final standards of such regulations, which are to be strengthened in phases.
By the end of 2001, we complied with the EPA Phase 2 regulations, which are currently
the strictest environmental regulations in the world, for all our Power Equipment.
These products are now available both within and outside Japan.
For example, in the past, most handheld hedge trimmers were
powered by 2-stroke engines. As exhaust emissions regulations were strengthened,
however, there were increasing expectations for the use of 4-stroke engines that
offered superior environmental performance. In 1997, to meet such expectations,
Honda released the GX22/GX31 as the world’s first 4-stroke engines that could
be operated at any angle in any direction. Compared with their 2-stroke counterparts,
the HC emissions from 4-stroke engines were reduced to one-tenth and the fuel
economy was almost doubled. Further, by the adoption of the “compact OHV”
and “uni-block cylinder” technologies, the unit weights of the engines
were kept to almost the same as those of the 2-stroke ones. In April 2002, we
released the world’s lightest handheld engine, the GX25. This model complies
with the EPA Phase 2 regulations, which are said to be the world’s strictest,
as well as with the CARB Tier 2 regulations. Also in January 2001, we entirely
upgraded the small tiller “Komame” to comply with the EPA Phase 2 and
CARB Tier 2 regulations.
Subsequently, in 2005, we released the next-generation iGX440 as the world’s first1) single-cylinder general purpose engine to feature a new electronic governor system to regulate engine speed. The iGX440 achieved emission levels approximately 30% lower than the EPA Phase 2 and the CARB Tier 2 standards imposed in the United States, thus meeting the world’s highest standards for environmental performance. In addition, fuel economy has been improved over engines of the same class2) by approximately 15%, and noise has been reduced by approximately 4 dB(A). |
|
1) According to Honda’s survey
2) 15-horsepower class |
| |
A lot of Power Equipment are used in various working environments
as devices to support operations. Honda, in order to provide products that contribute
to the improvement of working environments, has been developing Power Equipment
using cleaner natural gas and electricity while also making gas emitted from gasoline-powered
equipment cleaner. For example, we applied in-wheel motors using electricity to
electric motor-assisted wheelbarrows and self-propelled carts for harvesting leaf
tobacco. (The leaves covering the fields tend to confine the exhaust gas within
the fields.) In 2002, Honda’s GX390 compressed natural gas-powered engine
was adopted by a wholesale market in Sapporo City for trucks used inside the market. |
|
|
|
|
