‘Greenest’ and ‘meanest’ vehicles of 2015 named by ACEEE
by Cleantech Canada Staff
smart fortwo electric drive topped ACEEE's list of greenest vehicles on the market; Nissan Armada named the meanest
WASHINGTON—The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) has released its list of the meanest and greenest new vehicles on the market, with the smart fortwo electric drive named the top eco-friendly vehicle available.
Following the all-electric smart in the rankings of the most efficient vehicles on the market in order of green score was the Chevrolet Spark, Fiat 500E, Toyota Prius C, Nissan Leaf, Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid, Lexus CT 200H, Honda Civic Hybrid, Honda Civic Natural Gas, Mitsubishi Mirage, Ford Focus Electric, and Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid.
The Mirage is the only conventional gas-powered car to make the list in 2015, while six out of the top 12 vehicles are plug-in electric.
“As the electric vehicle market continues to develop, we’re seeing a number of different options from a variety of automakers, including several from American manufacturers,” ACEEE lead vehicle analyst Shruti Vaidyanathan said in a release.
“How green your electric vehicle is has a lot to do with where you plug it in. A car that is charged using electricity generated from natural gas or renewables is going to have significantly less impact on the environment than one charged on a coal-heavy grid.”
The Tesla Model S is noticeably absent from the greenest cars list.
For those who have yet to drink the electric car Kool-Aid, ACEEE has also compiled a list of “greener choices”—vehicles that, while not the best of the best in terms of the auto market, still rank tops in their respective segments.
The top scorers in the “greener choices” category are the Toyota Prius C, Prius, smart fortwo (non-electric), Honda Fit, Toyota Prius V, Chevrolet Spark, Ford C-Max Hybrid, Subaru XV Crosstrek Hybrid, Chevrolet Trax, Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon, Nissan Quest (not available in Canada), and Ford F-150.
On the opposite end of the spectrum lies ACEEE’s “meanest” list of the least environmentally friendly vehicles on the market.
Those include: Ram 2500; Chevrolet Express 2500/GMC Savana 2500 (cargo); Bugatti Veyron; Bentley Mulsanne; Mercedes-Benz G 63 AMG; Mercedes-Benz G 550; Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe; Lamborghini Aventador Roadster; Toyota Sequoia; Lexus LX 570; Ferrari FF; and Nissan Armada.
