The Accord Hybrid has arrived

I also agree with this.. and I think it's also worth pointing out that while IMA might not be as sophisticated as HSD, Honda produces the cleanest cars, so ULEV or SULEV they must be doing something right. Their overall fleet average puts them at the top of the list. Toyota comes in third.

While we need cleaner cars, we also need to clean a lot of other things up. ULEV/SULEV cars that burn less gas, no matter if it's using IMA or HSD, are a good thing.

 

The Honda Accord as I understand it:

. It's more powerful than the standard Accord V6.

. The engine shuts off when stopped.

. When cruising, half the cylinders deactivate

And thus:

. It gets excellent gas mileage (especially for a V6 with its power and engine smoothness).

. It puts out significantly fewer pollutants than the standard Accord

If this is all correct, it sounds pretty good to me for a $30,000 for a car. The only problem is, at that price, it competes directly with their Acura. I guess the choice then would be between environmental friendliness and more luxurious driving.

 

> It puts out significantly fewer pollutants than the standard Accord.

I hope that misconception doesn't get out of hand.

The smog-related emissions are no different than the regular traditional Accord. Both are only ULEV rated.

SULEV is 72.8 percent cleaner. A traditional version of the Accord is available with that emission rating. The hybrid is not.

 

Enough with the percentages. Here are the hard numbers that these percentages represent:

A COMPARISON OF EMISSIONS STANDARDS

Source: http://www.epa.gov/emissweb/0-10chart.htm

PollutionRating Emission Level & Class CO(gm/mi) PM(gm/mi) NOx(gm/mi) NMOG*(gm/mi) SmogFormingPollutantsNOx+NMOG (gm/mi) Pounds ofSmogFormingPollutionNOx+NMOGper 15,000 mi

3 car and small truck Tier 1 4.20 0.10 0.6 0.32 0.92 30.5

7 car and small truck ULEV 2.10 0.04 0.3 0.055 0.36 11.7

10 light duty SULEVll 1.00 0.01 0.02 0.01 0.03 1.0

 

there is an accord hybrid forum

accord hybrid forums