Newly Released Honda Insight Takes Top Honors
in ACEEE's Green Book™
Environmental Rankings
For further information, contact: Jim Kliesch
or Therese Langer, 202-429-8873
Washington, D.C. (June 21, 2001) -- A newly released version
of the hybrid-electric Honda Insight has seized the position of
"the year's greenest vehicle," says the American Council
for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), publisher of ACEEE's
Green Book™: The Environmental
Guide to Cars and Trucks. According to the Washington, D.C.-based
nonprofit organization, Honda's advanced CVT (Continuously Variable
Transmission) version of the Insight took the crown spot for all
Model Year 2001 vehicles during the latest update to GreenerCars.com,
the online home of ACEEE's Green Book™.
"Honda has one-upped itself with the release of the CVT
Insight," says Jim Kliesch, co-author of ACEEE's Green
Book™ and manager of
the GreenerCars.com website. "When we released the
Green Book in February, there was a tie for the greenest
vehicle between Honda's manual transmission Insight and their
natural gas-powered Civic GX. The CVT Insight, now with Super-Ultra-Low-Emission
(SULEV) tailpipe emissions, has topped both of those."
According to Kliesch, the new Insight has cleaner tailpipe emissions
than its stick-shift counterpart, although a slightly worse fuel
economy. "Automatic transmissions are not as efficient as
manuals," says Kliesch. "However, the CVT Insight's
efficiency is still among the best on the road and, with the cleaner
tailpipe emissions, that was enough to push it over the top."
The new CVT Insight received a Green Score of 57, 4 points higher
than the Ultra-Low-Emission (ULEV) manual transmission version.
ACEEE's Green Scores are comprehensive environmental vehicle
ratings that account for both tailpipe pollution and global warming
impacts -- including "upstream" emissions from auto
factories, petroleum refineries, and, for electric vehicles, power
plants.
The CVT is an automatic transmission that provides a nearly infinite
number of gear ratios for smooth and efficient shifting. "Use
of a CVT allows for increased efficiency over conventional automatic
transmissions, yet retains the automatics' ease-of-use,"
says Therese Langer, ACEEE's Transportation Program Director.
"During this time of high gasoline prices, the continuously
variable transmission should make the Insight appeal to even more
consumers."
The release of this new version of the Insight also marks another
milestone - the first time a gasoline-powered vehicle has topped
the charts alone in ACEEE's Green Book™.
"This is an achievement of which the automakers should be
proud," states Langer. "It's hard proof that -- even
given the engineering challenges -- the industry can produce cleaner
and more efficient gasoline vehicles."
Monthly and annual subscriptions to the website are available
at GreenerCars.com. The print edition of ACEEE's Green
Book™: The Environmental
Guide to Cars and Trucks may be ordered from ACEEE, retail
booksellers, or directly from the GreenerCars.com website
for $8.95 plus $5.00 shipping and handling. Bulk sales discounts
are also available. For further information, contact:
The American Council for an Energy-Efficient
Economy is an independent, non-profit research group dedicated
to advancing energy efficiency as a means of protecting the environment
and strengthening the economy. For more information, see our website
at www.aceee.org.
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