Honda Accelerates Cleaner Engine Production

ByBeth Barovian By late 2001 the majority of Honda Motor Co. Ltd.'s gasoline general-purpose engines will meet the U.S. EPA's 2006 Phase 2 emission standards for non-road engines. Honda will begin to phase in the cleaner engines this year by reducing hydrocarbon and nitrogen oxide exhaust emissions by 30%. All Honda Class-1 engines will meet the Phase 2 requirements six years prior to the compliance date, and all Honda Class-2 engines will meet the 2006 emissions levels four years prior to the requirement. All Honda general-purpose engines that meet the EPA Phase 2 emission levels will feature an engine "hang tag" with an "e-SPEC" logo to symbolize the advanced environmental technologies in Honda power products. According to Tom Bingham, the chief engineer for standards and regulations, Honda Motor Co. Ltd. is presently the only engine manufacturer striving to meet these requirements worldwide. "We have the technological and financial resources to meet the emission requirements now," notes Bingham. "If we can do something to help clean the air, then we will do it. That is a Honda policy."