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UC Riverside Students and Faculty 'Plug In' to 21st Century Transportation Concept01:15 p.m Mar 24, 1999 Eastern RIVERSIDE, Calif., March 24 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 200 students and faculty at the University of California, Riverside, are sharing 15 Honda EV PLUS electric vehicles for their daily driving needs through the IntelliShare program, conducted by the University's College of Engineering Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT) with support from American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19990324/LAW024 ) (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19990324/LAW024-b ) The IntelliShare program was demonstrated at a press conference today at University Village in Riverside. The program is part of Honda's international Intelligent Community Vehicle System (ICVS). Following several years of research using computer simulations, the demonstration -- which will run for up to a year -- will provide a real-world test of ICVS in an urban environment, allowing researchers to further refine the technology. "Growing populations, increasing congestion and environmental concerns are making our transportation challenges more complex," said Robert Bienenfeld, advanced environmental vehicle marketing manager for American Honda. "The IntelliShare community vehicle program is a way for Honda to explore solutions that may enhance the convenience, efficiency and environmental responsibility of the transportation system." Each IntelliShare member receives a smart card, which gives them access to an EV PLUS from one of three port locations: University Village, the College of Engineering and CE-CERT. After entering information about estimated trip time and distance at the kiosk located at each port, the system assigns a vehicle to the IntelliShare user. The smart card also unlocks the car and turns it on. When not in use, the electric vehicles are charged at each port. Honda R&D is working closely with the University to research the logistics, management and technology of car sharing. Honda's participation includes research assistance, funding, vehicle maintenance and insurance, in addition to providing the EV PLUS vehicles. IntelliShare is the latest U.S. project in Honda's vision for an ICVS. In the San Francisco Bay Area, 60 residents share use of 12 natural gas-powered Civic GX sedans as part of CarLink, a research project including Honda, the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California, Davis, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) and others. Last year, Honda began public demonstration of ICVS at its Twin Ring Motegi motorsports complex in Tochigi, Japan. Users check out small electric cars and electric bicycles as needed to commute around the 1,600-acre facility. "Honda's vision of an Intelligent Community Vehicle System is to conserve the use of land and other resources by maximizing the use of each vehicle in the transportation network," said Bienenfeld. "At the same time, we continue to lead the industry in developing and marketing environmentally sensitive vehicles such as the EV PLUS electric vehicle, the natural-gas powered Civic GX and the new Honda hybrid." SOURCE American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
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