Honda finds green winner
24 September 2004 Honda had offered a new Civic IMA as a free replacement for the winning Insight or Civic IMA. Matt Partridge, a 32-year-old Insight driver from Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, won the competition. In 103,000 miles, the IMA technology has been faultless - the car is still running its original battery and I've never had a breakdown,' he said. IMA stands for Integrated Motor Assist - a system that uses an electric motor working alongside a small petrol engine. Wasted energy under braking is captured and re-used to save fuel when accelerating. During his time with the environmentally friendly Insight coupe, Honda estimates that Mr Partridge prevented more than 13 tonnes of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere, compared with that produced by a typical 1.6-litre petrol-engined hatchback. Over 103,000 miles, the company says the car would also have saved him more than £4500 in petrol costs over an equivalent saloon - the car's combined fuel consumption is 83.1mpg. Since 2000, Honda has sold 75,000 petrol-electric cars worldwide. Currently, Honda is selling more Civic IMAs in Britain than in Japan. The model was the top-selling petrol-electric hybrid in this country last year. The Civic IMA family car's fuel consumption of 57.7mpg is not as frugal as the Insight's, but it seats five, has a large boot and still sits in a special 12% company car tax band. |
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