American Honda Announces Electric Vehicle

American Honda Motor Co., Inc. Press Release

TORRANCE, Calif., - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. announced today its plans to introduce the Honda EV, a purpose-built electric vehicle, which operates on advanced nickel-metal hydride batteries (Ni-MH). American Honda plans to lease the Honda EV to both fleets and individual consumers in California, beginning in the spring of 1997.

"The Honda EV offers one of the highest levels of electric vehicle practicality and refinement in the world," said Mr. Watanabe, president of Honda R&D, North America. "The announcement of the Honda EV is another step in Honda's ongoing commitment to preserving and improving the environment and to developing clean vehicles using various energy sources that meet consumers' needs.''

The Honda EV (Electric Vehicle) is a four-passenger automobile powered by nickel-metal hydride batteries, the first production electric vehicle to take advantage of this advanced battery technology, which greatly improves range.

The Honda EV is not a conversion of an existing automobile, and over 95 percent is composed of all-new components.

With a goal of obtaining a balance between driveability and range, the Honda EV was designed to perform well in both normal urban traffic and freeway driving conditions. Based on the standard FUDS (Federal Urban Driving Schedule), a government test designed to simulate city driving, the Honda EV has a range of 125 miles. It accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in 18.7 seconds, and has a top speed of over 80 mph.

In addition to meeting all Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS), the Honda EV is equipped with regenerative braking and a wide range of comfort, safety and convenience features.

For recharging, the Honda EV is equipped with a compact on-board charger, capable of recharging at 110 or 220 volts.

American Honda will unveil its EV at the California Alternative Fuel Vehicle Partnership Conference in Los Angeles on April 10 and will publicly display it at the Eco-Expo at the LA Convention Center from April 12 through April 14.