And the Detroit News has named it Car of the Year. The respected newspaper stated, "The Civic Hybrid... hold(s) out hope that we may wean ourselves away from dependence on foreign oil and drive cleaner, more environmentally friendly products. The gasoline-electric sedan is an impressive step in what's shaping up as the automotive revolution of the 21st century."
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| Respected Detroit News named the Civic Hybrid the Car of the Year and stated, "The gasoline-electric sedan is an impressive step in what's shaping up as the automotive revolution of the 21st century." (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
The Hybrid's low emissions can be attributed to its "sit up and take notice" fuel economy. Those who have owned the Civic Hybrid for a few months are seeing real dollar savings. For example, the City of North Vancouver, BC, replaced one of its aging vehicles with a smaller, more fuel-efficient gasoline/electric 'hybrid' this past January. After only a few weeks the fleet manager reported that the hybrid had been driven 1,595 km (991 miles). "Under the assumption that people would otherwise be putting those kilometers on one of the other City vehicles, the fuel savings to date are approximately 124 litres (32.8 g), a 61.4% reduction. At $0.825 per liter, that's a savings of $102.64." While cost savings are always important one of the City's goals is to be more environmentally responsible. Initially, Mayor Sharp found herself defending the extra cost to North Vancouver taxpayers, so with results like these she may well find herself and city council validated.
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| By using the hybrid instead of a conventional engine, the Civic Hybrid has prevented 293 kg of eCO2 from entering the atmosphere. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
The hybrid averages 4.9 L/100 km (48 mpg) in the city versus an average of 12.7 L/100 km (18 mpg) for other City vehicles.
Going back to the environmental improvements side of the conversation, the reduced fuel consumption from using the hybrid instead of a more conventional vehicle has prevented 293.6 kg (647 lbs ) of eCO2 (equivalent carbon dioxide) from being released into the atmosphere - no wonder it's receiving accolades from environmentalists.