i MiEV voted GREENEST CAR ON the Planet!
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ACEEE ranks i-MiEV as “Greenest” car in US, Civic Natural Gas ties for second with LEAF
8 February 2012
Mitsubishi’s i-MIEV battery electric vehicle took (http://greenercars NULL.org/2012GB_PR NULL.pdf) the top spot from the Honda Civic Natural Gas on the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy’s (ACEEE) 14th annual environmental ranking. The natural gas Civic had held first place for 8 years running.
Making its model year 2012 debut on the US market, the i-MIEV earned a score of 58, the highest Green Score awarded since the rankings began in 1998. With a combined city and highway fuel economy of 112 miles per gallon equivalent, the i-MIEV outpaces all other vehicles currently sold in United States.
| ACEEE 2012 “Greenest” Rankings | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Make and Model | Specifications | Emission Standard | MPG city | MPG hwy | Green score |
|
| Mitsubishi I-MiEV | Elec. (Li-ion) | ZEV | 3.8 | 2.9 | 58 | |
| Honda Civic Natural Gas | 1.8L 4, auto [CNG] | PZEV / Bin 2 | 27 | 38 | 55 | |
| Nissan LEAF | Elec. (Li-ion) | ZEV | 3.1 | 2.7 | 55 | |
| Toyota Prius | 1.8L 4, auto CVT | PZEV / Bin 3 | 51 | 48 | 54 | |
| Honda Insight | 1.3L 4, auto CVT | PZEV | 41 | 44 | 53 | |
| Smart fortwo Cabriolet / Coupe | 1.0L 3, manual | ULEV II / Bin 5 | 34 | 38 | 53 | |
| Scion IQ | 1.3L 4, auto CVT | ULEV II / Bin 5 | 36 | 37 | 52 | |
| Honda Civic Hybrid | 1.5L 4, auto CVT | PZEV / Bin 2 | 44 | 44 | 52 | |
| Lexus CT200H | 1.8L 4, auto CVT | SULEV II / Bin 3 | 43 | 40 | 51 | |
| Toyota Camry Hybrid LE | 2.5L 4, auto CVT | PZEV / Bin 3 | 43 | 39 | 51 | |
| Honda CR-Z | 1.5L 4, auto CVT | PZEV | 35 | 39 | 50 | |
| Toyota Yaris | 1.5L 4, manual | ULEV II / Bin 5 | 30 | 38 | 50 | |
Even taking into account the emissions generated from the electricity used to power the i-MIEV, it still handily outscores other vehicles on the market today.
—ACEEE lead vehicle analyst Shruti Vaidyanathan
The Honda Civic Natural Gas, despite its improved fuel economy this year, appears in second place, tied with the Nissan Leaf. Rounding out the top six are the Toyota Prius, the Honda Insight, and the Smart ForTwo. This year, hybrids dominate the “Greenest” list occupying half of all spots. Highly efficient conventional gasoline vehicles also continue to have a presence on the “Greenest” list, claiming three of the top twelve spots.
This year saw the arrival of a number of new hybrid options for drivers from Hyundai, Kia, and Infiniti, but none broke into the top twelve.
Vehicles are analyzed on the basis of a “Green Score,” a singular measure that incorporates unhealthy tailpipe emissions, fuel consumption, and emissions of gases that contribute to climate change.
This year, a number of updates were made to the Green Book methodology to more accurately estimate vehicles’ environmental impacts. These include improved emissions estimates for the vehicle manufacturing process, changes reflecting current natural gas extraction practices, and consideration of upcoming shifts in the generation mix for the electricity used to power electric cars.
The greenercars.org website also identifies top, widely-available models in each vehicle class. This “Greener Choices” list includes trucks and SUVs such as the Chevrolet Equinox, GMC Canyon, Honda Odyssey, and the Ford F-150 (FFV). Cars such as the Chevrolet Sonic-5 and Hyundai Sonata top their respective classes. Domestic manufacturers claimed five of the twelve spots.
The “Meanest” list this year sees a number of heavier light-duty vehicles, pushing out European sports cars as the highest emitters. The dirtiest vehicles for 2012 are the twin Chevrolet G3500 Express and GMC G3500 Savana cargo vans, followed by the Ford E-350 Wagon and the Bugatti Veyron sports car.
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