'Honda' had highest fleet fuel economy for MY2012 reports EPA

Each year the Environmental Protection Agency or EPA publishes a report that outlines the most and least fuel efficient automotive manufacturers on a fleet wide scale. The latest EPA report is in and it covers the 2012 model year range. The new report lists Honda as the most fuel efficient full-line automaker in the country.

The report says that American Honda had the highest fleet-average fuel efficiency. Honda also recorded the largest year-over-year fuel economy increase. Another thing that the EPA lauded Honda for was having the lowest CO2 emissions of any full-line automaker in the US for model year 2012.

American Honda includes the Honda and Acura brands in the US. The overall fleet fuel efficiency average for American Honda was 26.6 mpg. That represents a 9.7% or 2.5mpg increase compared to the model year 2011 results for Honda.

The numbers were very close; the EPA noted that Honda outperformed Mazda by a tenth of a mpg in the report to take the top spot. However, Honda was able to do this despite selling larger vehicles than Mazda. The industry average fuel efficiency for the entire fleet in the 2012 model year was 23.6 mpg.


SOURCE: Honda

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2014 Honda Fit Hybrid scores highest MPG among Japanese hybrids

Honda has announced that its 2014 Fit Hybrid has beat out all other hybrid models in Japan with a mileage rating of 36.4 km/L, which works out to about 85MPG in the United States. The small car, among other things, features three driving modes that are automatically engaged depending on the environment in which the car is being driven.

easily referred to as an i-DCD. This is a one-motor system that the auto maker says is best suited for small cars, and works with the EV drive by “disengaging the engine and the motor”. It falls within the company’s Earth Dreams Technology category, which aims at achieving high gas mileage.

Inside, there’s an inline 4-cylinder 1.5-liter Atkinson cycle engine, as well as the i-DCD’s 7-speed DCT integrated high-output motor. In addition, there’s also an Intelligent Power Unit (IPU) with a lithium-ion battery built into it. Further expanding on the system to achieve a high gas mileage rating is the braking system.

Braking is done via an electric servo brake system, which is said to increase electrical regenerative efficiency. There’s also an all-electric compressor to lessen the load on the engine. All of this, when combined, results in a system that Honda says results in a fuel economy in excess of 35-percent better than the IMA hybrid system that is currently being used.

As mentioned, there are three driving modes, each of which is triggered automatically, comprised of EV Drive Mode (motor-only), the Hybrid Drive Mode (engine and motor driving), and the Engine Drive Mode (engine-only). Sales, said Honda, will start in Japan in September.

SOURCE: Honda

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