OREANDA-NEWS. Honda delivered a 2014 Accord Plug-In vehicle to the city of Torrance yesterday 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.

The delivery was marked by a ceremony at the Torrance City Hall, at which a key to the Accord Plug-In was presented to Torrance Mayor Frank Scotto by Steven Center, vice president of the Environmental Business Development Office at American Honda.

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. By driving a Fit EV, Honda estimates the city of Torrance was able to reduce its CO2 emissions by roughly 74 percent when compared with a gasoline-powered vehicle, such as the Honda Fit.

The EPA-rated 115 MPGe 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