The 'Greenest' Cars For 2014, Top 12 'Greenest' Cars For 2014
You don’t necessarily need to be a card-carrying member of Greenpeace
to reap the benefits of an eco-friendly car. Though only 29 percent of
car shoppers cited environmental friendliness as their primary reason
for choosing a particular make and model in a recent survey on
powertrains conducted by Morpace, Inc. in Farmington Hills, Mich., a
resounding 62 percent of those queried said choosing the most
fuel-efficient model was their top shopping consideration.
Fortunately for car buyers of either persuasion, the two criteria are
intertwined – a more fuel-efficient ride generally pollutes less and
gas guzzlers are among the least environmentally friendly ides on the
road. That said, a given vehicle’s overall impact on the ecosystem isn’t
limited solely to the volume of its tailpipe emissions. For example,
while an all-electric car itself generates zero emissions, its overall
environmental impact depends on the effect to which the local power
source used to generate the electricity adversely affects the air,
ground and/or water.
To help car shoppers choose a “greener” ride, whether in a nod to Mother Nature or to help minimize ongoing fuel costs, the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy
(ACEEE) in Washington, D.C. just released its annual survey of what it
determines are the most- and least environmentally friendly new vehicles
for sale in the U.S. Once again electric and hybrid-powered vehicles
dominate the greenest vehicles list for 2014, with the tiny two-seat
Smart ForTwo Electric Drive leading the pack with a “Green Score” of 59,
which is the highest rating for a passenger car ever recorded by the
ACEEE. The only other all-electric model to make the top 12 was the
Nissan Leaf, coming in third place with a Green Score of 55.
We’re featuring the ACEEE’s complete list of Greenest Cars, along with
their estimated fuel economy ratings and Green Scores in the
accompanying....(Following Bellow)
Three of the top-rated cars for 2014 come from Toyota’s Prius family of
hybrids, with the Prius c hybrid subcompact hatchback coming in at #2,
the Prius midsize hatchback at #4 and the Prius Plug-In Hybrid at #7 on
the list. Other hybrids among the top dozen include the Honda Civic
Hybrid, Lexus CT 200h, Honda Insight and the Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid.
The limited-availability Honda Civic Natural Gas compact sedan resides
in the ninth slot, while the only gasoline-fueled models to break into
the group include the new-for-2014 Mitsubishi Mirage subcompact at #8
and the conventionally powered Smart ForTwo at #11. Seven out of the 12
greenest cars on the ACEEE’s 2014 list come from either Honda or
Toyota.
“We’ve had such an influx of hybrid and electric vehicles in recent
years that the race to earn a spot on the ‘Greenest’ list is more
competitive than ever, particularly for conventional vehicles,” says
ACEEE lead vehicle analyst Shruti Vaidyanathan. “It’s encouraging to see
automakers investing heavily in eco-savvy vehicles on the whole.”
Meanwhile, the ACEEE’s list of “meanest” vehicles for the 2014 model
year is once again populated by the biggest trucks and fastest sports
cars that tend to pack the most fuel-swilling engines. Unlike the
greenest list, where Japanese brands placed 10 out the 12 cars cited,
the aggregate of worst offenders is dominated by domestic and European
automakers’ wares. The top (or bottom, if you prefer) vehicle in that
regard for 2014 is the Ram 2500 heavy-duty pickup, followed by the
pavement-burning Bugatti Veyron uber-exotic sports car and the passenger
version of the full-size Ford E-150 van.
The Pictures of 12 ‘Greenest’ Cars for 2014.
The fine print: The ACEEE determines its Green Score rankings
according to combination of factors that primarily takes into account a
vehicle’s fuel economy and its tailpipe emissions. The latter include
health-damaging and smog-forming airborne pollutants like hydrocarbons,
nitrogen oxide, particulate matter, carbon monoxide and formaldehyde, as
well as greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change, like carbon
dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane and other compounds. The Green Scores
also consider such factors as emissions estimates for a vehicle’s
manufacturing process, disposal impact and (where applicable) natural
gas extraction practices and the sources of energy used to generate
power for electric cars.
In addition to the greenest vehicle recommendations, the ACEEE also
identifies widely available, and in many cases, more practical and
affordable, greener choices among all conventionally powered model
categories on its greenercars.org
website. Winners in individual vehicle classes for 2014 include the
Buick Encore compact luxury sedan, Nissan Rogue and Juke crossover SUVs,
Chevrolet Spark subcompact hatchback, Honda Odyssey minivan and the Ram
1500 HFE and Toyota Tacoma pickup trucks.
What’s more, car shoppers can research ratings from among over 1,000
separate model-year 2014 vehicle configurations by subscribing to the
organization’s Green Book online database at $8.95 for 30 days or $19.95
for 12 months. Information on fuel economy and tailpipe emissions
ratings for all new (and previous model-year) cars and trucks can also
be found at no cost on the Environmental Protection Agency’s website, fueleconomy.gov.
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