(August 15, 2013) TORRANCE, Calif. — Honda has delivered a 2014 Accord Plug-In vehicle to the city of Torrance as a continuation of Honda's advanced vehicle testing efforts, a critical component of Honda's measured approach to furthering its advancement of electric-drive vehicles.

The Accord Plug-In, which is EPA-rated to operate in electric-only mode for 13 miles before transitioning between gasoline-electric hybrid and gasoline modes, will join the Fit EV in providing Torrance with in-city transportation options that reduce CO2 and tailpipe emissions.

"Honda's continued relationship with the City of Torrance through our advanced vehicle testing has been instrumental in advancing our sustainable transportation solutions," said Steven Center, vice president of the Environmental Business Development Office at American Honda.

"Through real-world feedback of the Fit EV and now the Accord Plug-In, the City of Torrance plays an essential role in the refinement and evolution of electric drive vehicles and, ultimately, the expansion of customer adoption for this technology."

Over the past year, Honda and the city of Torrance have worked together to collect real-world input from the city's use of a Fit EV test vehicle. After driving more than 7,500 miles in combined city and highway driving, city employees, using the Fit EV for everyday business, were able to surpass the Fit EV's adjusted Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mile-per-gallon-equivalency rating of 132/105/118 MPGe.

"The City of Torrance is proud to continue its partnership with Honda where we jointly hold the keys to a compelling solution for reducing CO2 emissions," said city of Torrance Mayor Frank Scotto. "We have been impressed by the potential of the Fit EV to significantly reduce the city's CO2 emissions from transportation and contribute to our CO2 reduction goals. The addition of the Accord Plug-In will help enhance our efforts to reduce CO2 from the city's operations."

The EPA-rated 115 MPGe2 Accord Plug-In is the most fuel efficient sedan in the U.S. and is available at select New York and California Honda dealers. Based on the Touring trim level of the standard Accord Sedan but featuring unique styling cues, the 2014 Honda Accord Plug-In blends the athleticism and craftsmanship of the all-new Accord platform, combined with hybrid efficiency and electric torque.

In addition to being Honda's first plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, the Accord Plug-In is the first production car in the U.S. to meet the new, more stringent LEV3/SULEV20 emissions standard, and also qualifies for single-occupant carpool-lane access in California.

The plug-in Accord can be fully charged from a low-charge indication point in less than three hours using the supplied 120-volt charger when plugged into a standard 120-volt household electrical outlet (use of a dedicated GFCI outlet is recommended), and in less than one hour using a 240-volt "Level-2" charger.