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“Greenest” Cars of 2009 – and “Meanest”

February 4, 2009 in Consumer News, Hybrids, MPG, small cars by kristen | 2 comments

The American Council for Energy-Efficient Economy, a Washington D.C. non-profit, has released its environmental ratings for 2009 vehicles, including the top 12 “Greenest” and bottom 12 “Meanest” cars you can buy.

The list is in its twelfth year, and the results aren’t terribly surprising. The greenest 12 are small, alternative-fuel cars with great mileage; the meanest 12 are large trucks and high-performance sports cars that drink gasoline by the bucket. What is a little shocking is that the meanest car on the road is a flex-fuel vehicle, the Hummer H2.

Scores are based on tailpipe emissions, fuel consumption, and emissions of gases that cause global warming. Without further ado, here are the big winners and losers:

Greenest:

  1. Honda Civic GX (liquid natural gas)
  2. Toyota Prius (gas-electric hybrid)
  3. Honda Civic Hybrid
  4. Smart ForTwo convertible/coupe
  5. Toyota Yaris
  6. Nissan Altima Hybrid
  7. Mini Cooper/Clubman
  8. Chevrolet Cobalt XFE/Pontiac G5 XFE
  9. Honda Fit
  10. Chevy Aveo/Aveo 5
  11. Toyota Camry Hybrid
  12. Kia Rio

Meanest:

  1. Hummer H2 FFV (flex-fuel vehicle)
  2. Lamborghini Murcielago coupe and roadster
  3. GMC Yukon 2500
  4. Mercedes-Benz G55 AMG
  5. Maybach 57S/62S
  6. Lincoln Navigator FFV (flex-fuel vehicle)
  7. GMC Sierra K2500
  8. Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG
  9. Jeep Grand Cherokee
  10. Dodge Ram 2500 Mega Cab
  11. Chevrolet Suburban K1500
  12. Ford F-250

Portland, OR, Most Sustainable

September 25, 2008 in EVs, Hybrids, Two Wheels by kristen | 2 comments

An editor recently forwarded the results of the Sustain Lane 2008 U.S. City Rankings, asking me to please not gloat about the fact that the city I’ve lived in — and loved — since 2001 is the most sustainable city in the nation. Whatever, dude! We’re number one! Although the easy-to-read dartboard design makes it obvious how well Portland scored in a variety of categories, I’ll run down a few of our car-related kudos for those who are unaware of our awesomeness.

  • Curbside EV Charging. The local electric utility company, PGE, just this summer began installing curbisde charging stations in the Portland metro area. Right now, there’s a total of two of the new EV chargers, but most other cities don’t even have a plan yet (though Boulder is one-upping us with its vehicle-to-grid system).
  • A chain of EV dealerships. So it’s only a chain of two. EcoMotion has been one of the top sellers of ZAP vehicles in the country — and its been open for just a year. The shiny, new EVs are out front, but the back room holds a trove of used high-mileage, low-emissions SmartWay-certified used cars.
  • The OEVA. The Oregon Electric Vehicle Association, part of the national EVA, is active in the area. The offer assistance to those who want to buy electric or convert a car on their own, and they have a presence at almost every green event in town — and there are a lot of those.
  • The MAX. While Seattle was building the famed, and failed, monorail system, Portland was laying down tracks for light rail. The latest completed addition, the Yellow Line, finished early and under budget. More light rail connections are being built as we speak.
  • Bikes everywhere. Portland has miles and miles of bikeable streets, with designated bike lanes, for the thousands of people who commute using pedal power. Any bike shop has a map of bikeable routes available, and people are even stretching their biking season into the first rainy months of the year.

Okay, PDX is not perfect. There are some safety issues on MAX, especially in the suburbs, and there are notorious and sometimes violent clashes between drivers and bikers almost every month. But there are also a lot of good green car things about Portland that I didn’t even mention, like its bid to build an electric car factory in the future, or the fun and inclusive scooter scene.

I’m done gloating. Check out the rest of the sustainability rankings to find your city. If it’s low on the list — or not on it at all — get moving. Every location on here can always do better. Even Portland.

Photo by Doug Geisler.

The Toxic Chemicals Inside Your Car

July 31, 2008 in Consumer News by kristen | No comments

With all the hullaballoo about tailpipe emissions, carbon gases, and miles per gallon, the materials used in automotive interiors have been getting passed by. Not anymore, thanks to a report released at HealthyCar.org, which ranks the toxic chemicals in more than 200 models built from 2006-2009.

The report was reserarched by the non-profit Ecology Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and also includes toxic test results for children’s car seats. The test focused on bromine, chlorine, lead, and heavy metals.

All three versions of the U.S. Smart ForTwo made the top ten least-toxic cars list, but the number one cleanest interior honors went to the Acura RDX, an SUV. The most toxic interior belonged to the Mitsubishi Eclipse Spider GT, but the other nine slots were evenly divided among a variety of car makers, including VW, Suzuki, and Lincoln. Here’s the rest of the top and bottom ten, from HealthyCar.org: