Acura is providing 75 of its all-electric ZDX performance SUVs to The Nature Conservancy (TNC) to help advance the nonprofit organization’s critical conservation work and support its goal to transition to a cleaner, lower-emission fleet. This largest-ever vehicle donation by the premium performance brand builds on a long-standing collaboration between TNC and Honda, rooted in shared environmental values, company officials stated in a press release.
In addition to providing the fleet of electric vehicles, the Honda family of companies in the U.S., which includes Acura, is contributing $1 million to support the charging infrastructure and operation of the Acura ZDX fleet. The Acura ZDX electric vehicles will be delivered through Acura dealers nationwide to support local TNC teams across the country as they conduct fieldwork, engage with local communities and undertake conservation in remote and rural areas.
“We’re proud to partner with The Nature Conservancy and Acura dealers across America to help advance sustainability by contributing to a lower-emissions future,” said Mike Langel, assistant vice president of Acura National Sales. “The Acura ZDX fleet will support The Nature Conservancy’s important fieldwork, enabling more efficient travel to conservation sites while reducing the environmental impact of transportation.”
“We are incredibly grateful to Acura for this donation,” said Daniel Salzer, director of sustainability for The Nature Conservancy. “The donation of these vehicles has significantly accelerated our efforts to electrify our fleet, reducing our carbon footprint and setting a powerful example of climate leadership.”
Honda & TNC Have Been Working Together for Over 3 Decades
Honda and TNC have a longstanding partnership that began with the Ohio chapter of TNC over 30 years ago.
- In 2023, Honda and the Honda USA Foundation contributed $625,000 to support TNC programs across 10 states through the company’s strategic Corporate Social Responsibility Environment pillar.
- In 2020, Honda donated 90 acres of land to TNC in Ohio to help protect the springs and streams that combine to form the headwaters of Big Darby Creek. Honda has also supported local TNC chapters, including Alabama, California and Indiana.
- Over 30 years ago, Honda and TNC collaborated for the first time to preserve the Big Darby Creek watershed in Ohio. Since then, Honda has contributed more than $1 million to protect the headwaters of the Big Darby Creek, one of the Midwest’s most biologically diverse aquatic systems and one of the healthiest tributaries to the Scioto River, which provides drinking water for tens of thousands of Ohioans, noted the release.
Earlier this year, Kia America announced a collaboration with TNC to support freshwater conservation across the U.S. Over the next three years, Kia is investing $3 million to support TNC’s goal of conserving over 620,000 miles of rivers and over 74.1 million acres of lakes, wetlands and floods by 2030.