Honda Continues to Improve its Green Credentials in Innovative Fashion

BARRINGTON, Ill. - May 21, 2013 - PRLog -- Motor Werks Honda, a leading Chicago Honda area dealer (http://www.motorwerkshonda.com/honda-dealers-chicago.htm), is pleased to announce the new green efforts from Honda. In California, the automaker has created a “Zero Net Energy” concept home that can both create and manage renewable energy that will power not only the house but also a Honda Fit EV. Called the Honda Smart Home, the technology would allow for a nearly zero-carbon-footprint lifestyle. In other news, Honda is undertaking new development to convert their auto plant in Brazil to run completely on renewable energy. Honda will be the first automaker in Brazil to invest heavily in wind power.

The Honda Smart Home, which is at the University of California, Davis, showcases a suite of integrated technologies that will radically reduce emissions. This will demonstrate high-tech sustainable practices designed to meet the new California regulations requiring homes to be “zero net energy” by the year 2020. Using a solar power system the Honda Smart Home should produce more energy than it consumes and use less than half the energy of equivalent houses in the area for climate control and lighting. One of the unique features in the Honda Smart Home concept is the “Direct solar PV-to-vehicle charging,” which eliminates inefficiencies in converting from AC to DC and back again in order to improve charging times for electric vehicles like the 2013 Honda Fit EV (http://www.motorwerkshonda.com/2013-honda-fit-ev.htm).

Speaking of the Honda Smart Home, Steve Center, vice president of the Environmental Business Development Office of American Honda Motor Co., Inc, said, "Home energy use and personal mobility account for most of an individual's carbon emissions. By addressing both sources together, we are advancing technologies that will reduce carbon and eventually transform home design."  

Honda plans to power almost all of their local auto manufacturing in Brazil using wind power. Construction will start in 2014 on a wind farm that will house nine wind turbines. The estimated output for the wind farm will be 85,000 MWh per year, which is enough to satisfy all of the factory’s electricity requirements.

Honda is working to reduce global emissions by 30% from 200 levels by 2020. Motor Werks Honda is a proud member of the Honda family, and carries all the efficient vehicles from the renowned automaker. The dealership is located at 1475 S Barrington Rd (http://www.motorwerkshonda.com/dealership/directions.htm) in Barrington, IL, 45 minutes northwest of downtown Chicago.