This is an article I thought might be intersting to some.
http://www.auto.com/autonews/qhonda21.htm

Honda Motor Co. unveiled its newly developed ultraclean gasoline engine in Tokyo on Monday.

Honda engine clears air

New motor releases virtually no emissions
October 21, 1997

BY RACHEL KONRAD
Detroit Free Press Automotive Writer

TOCHIGI, Japan -- Need a breath of fresh air?

Try inhaling exhaust from a future version of the Honda Accord.

Honda Motor Co. on Monday unveiled a gasoline-burning internal combustion engine that emits virtually zero emissions. The exhaust from the so-called Zero Level Emission Vehicle, or ZLEV, is actually cleaner than the air most people breathe.


Americans will be able to buy current-generation Accords with ZLEV engines in two to three years, engineers said Monday at Honda's research facility north of Tokyo. And the sticker price won't be much more than for regular Accords, which start at about $16,000.

"This is a remarkable breakthrough," said John Dunlap, chairman of the California Air Resources Board. "A gasoline engine with nearly zero emissions would have been unthinkable just 10 years ago."

Honda's clean-burning engine produces one-tenth the emissions of California's Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV) standard, the most stringent in the world. Only electric vehicles, which use batteries instead of gasoline, emit fewer ozone-destroying pollutants than Honda's ZLEV.

The prototype engine is based on Honda's 2.3-liter, 4-cylinder Accord engine. About half of the 1998 Accords sold in the United States already meet virtually all current clean-air standards, and customers willing to pay $100 more can have Accords equipped with engines that meet the ULEV standard.

Honda executives said Monday that they may also put zero-emissions engines in other vehicles, such as the top-selling Civic.

Honda will also introduce a 1998 Civic fueled by natural gas that produces one-tenth the emissions of California's ULEV standard. And Honda engineers are trying to figure out ways to outfit Civics with their new Integrated Motor Assist System (IMAS), which dramatically increases performance and fuel efficiency. Prototype compact cars with IMAS get 70 miles per gallon or better.

"We have committed ourselves to providing greener cars that meet customer expectations of comfort, performance and quality," said Nobuhiko Kawamoto, Honda's president and CEO. "We will be a company whose presence will be welcomed in every country around the world."

Honda's new engines are good for the environment, but they may spell doom for electric vehicles. Automakers -- including Honda, General Motors Corp., Toyota Motor Co., Nissan Motor Co. and others -- have spent billions to develop electric vehicles. But EVs, which have not caught on with the public, are expensive and must be recharged after 100 miles or so.

Honda's ZLEVs, by contrast, use regular unleaded gas. ZLEV Accords get between 23 and 30 miles per gallon -- the same as regular Accords.

If ZLEV Accords were available today, they would cost about $1,000 more than regular Accords. But by the time they arrive at U.S. dealerships at the turn of the century, engineers say, ZLEV Accords won't be significantly more than Accords with traditional engines.

"People very much want to drive clean cars," said Ben Knight, vice president for Honda research and development in North and South America. "The goal is to make them affordable."

Business writer Rachel Konrad can be reached through E-mail at konrad@det-freepress.com
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This article was released in 1997. How come its been shrouded in mystery?


[Modified by Wont be beat, 11:42 PM 5/5/2002]

 

that manifold doesnt look the least bit restrictive....

 

that does seem extremly odd...its been way more than 2-3 years...hmm...

 

Honda's new engines are good for the environment, but they may spell doom for electric vehicles. Automakers -- including honda


rule number 546549684 "Thou shalt not deprive buisness from thy self."
the Zlev would have killed the hybrid market.

 

good point...didnt think of it like that

 

I think Nissans Marketing engineers are suffering from brain damage as of late.

 

you speaketh the truth

 

Hybrids right now are more about fuel economy than emmissions. Although they do offer low emmissions as well.

 

people are sheep, stupid sheep... majority of people would not have researched and you would have had a zlev-hybrid sales war in honda


in my opinion