Whether it’s for keeping the lights on during a power outage or for running tools on a job site, millions of people rely on portable generators. These helpful machines also come with a serious, invisible risk: carbon monoxide (CO), a deadly gas you can’t see or smell.

To combat this danger, Honda has announced a major safety upgrade across its entire lineup of Honda Portable Generators, making its advanced CO-MINDER™ detection system even better at protecting users.

A Smarter Honda Portable Generator

Honda is now building every Honda Portable Generator—from the small recreational models to its large industrial units—with an enhanced version of its CO-MINDER™ technology. This upgrade means the company’s full lineup now meets a new, stricter 2023 safety standard.The system works by using a battery-powered sensor to constantly sniff the air for carbon monoxide. Previously, the system would trigger an immediate shutdown when it detected CO levels of 800 parts per million (PPM). Honda has now made the system more sensitive, lowering that shutdown threshold to just 600 parts per million, providing an even quicker reaction in a dangerous situation.

A History of Safety Leadership

This isn’t Honda’s first step into this type of safety. The company was the first in the industry to put CO detection systems on all of its generators back in 2020. This latest update shows a continued focus on improving the safety of these essential tools.The system is also designed to be smart, reducing the annoying false shutdowns that can be caused by things like a sudden gust of wind. For electric-start models, it can even send a notification to your phone if it shuts down due to high CO levels.

A New Standard of Protection

Mark Kohls, a vice president at Honda, emphasized the company’s dedication to this cause. He said, “Honda stands firmly in step with the safety standards adopted by the Portable Generator Manufacturers’ Association in making our products safer and better for the people who use them.”While the number one rule of generator safety is to never run one indoors, this improved technology can be a backup for real-world situations. It’s an extra layer of protection for families during a blackout or workers on a noisy job site who might not notice the danger until it’s too late.