It has been a while but Honda is now 50 years in existence in America. The company which started out in 1959 via the manufacturing and distribution of fuel-efficient Honda motorcycles, Honda pays tribute to the array of technologies it has brought into the business. The latest technology offering is of course the much hyped Honda Insight, the gas-electric hybrid that has been pretty much talked about these past months.

“On behalf of the tens of thousands of Honda associates in America, past and present, we offer our deepest thanks to our customers for placing their trust in Honda over the past 50 years,” said American Honda President & CEO Tetsuo Iwamura. “Today, in the face of new challenges, including the preservation of our environment, we renew our commitment to exceed the expectations of our customers and society.”

Highlights of Honda’s run:

• First automaker to meet U.S. Clean Air Act without a catalytic converter – Civic CVCC (1974)
• First vehicle to top U.S. EPA list of most fuel efficient cars – Civic (1977)
• First Japanese automaker to build motorcycles (1979) and automobiles (1982) in America – Marysville, Ohio
• First Japanese automaker to establish a luxury automobile brand – Acura (1986)
• First mass produced gas-electric hybrid car introduced in America – Insight (1999)
• First government-certified hydrogen fuel cell vehicle – FCX (2002)

Honda operates 10 U.S. manufacturing plants with two new plants under construction, along with 14 R&D facilities and more than 12 regional sales, parts and service, and finance offices around the country. The company’s network of U.S. parts suppliers comprises 545 companies in 34 states with annual purchases exceeding $17.5 billion in 2008.

(Source) Press

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Motorists who are curious about the level of their carbon footprints can simply look at one part of their car, their O2 censor. It’s important to know that your vehicle’s O2 sensor (oxygen sensor) plays a key role in sounding the alarm if excessive harmful exhaust emissions are coming out the tailpipe.

“A properly functioning O2 sensor plays the role of a watchdog when it comes to monitoring your car’s exhaust emissions, especially hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide,” said Warren Suter, Director, Engine Management Systems for Bosch, which developed the automotive oxygen sensor in 1976. Bosch is the world’s largest supplier of automotive parts and systems.

The O2 sensor measures the oxygen in the exhaust and signals the engine’s computer to adjust the air-fuel ratio to ensure that combustion is as complete as possible. This continuous process optimizes engine performance and fuel efficiency and reduces harmful emissions. A vehicle, depending on the make, model and year, can have between one and four O2 sensors at various locations in the exhaust stream.

If an O2 sensor is worn out and fails to assess the air-fuel ratio accurately, the engine’s computer tries to accommodate the perceived variation and, in the process, may adjust the mixture to be too lean or too rich. The result? Harmful tailpipe emissions and possible damage to the catalytic converter and other engine components.

(Source) Press

Tags: air fuel ratio, automotive parts, carbon monoxide, catalytic converter, combustion, engine components, engine management systems, engine performance, fuel efficiency, harmful emissions, harmful exhaust emissions, hydrocarbons, key role, motorists, o2 sensor, o2 sensors, oxygen sensor, suter, tailpipe emissions, watchdog

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