Share this on social media
GreenerCars 2023: Efficiency and weight – not just electric vs. gas – shape environmental impact
(ACEEE blog, 28 Feb 2023) The top five most environmentally friendly cars in the annual GreenerCars ratings are all-electric and the next five are gasoline hybrids. Led by the Mini Cooper Hardtop EV, the Greenest List was rounded out by a mix of EVs and hybrids from Japanese and Korean automakers.
EVs are among the least polluting cars on the market, but because powertrain efficiency and vehicle weight also have a significant effect on a car’s environmental impact, some hybrid and gasoline vehicles outperform some EVs.
The GreenerCars scores from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) are based on an environmental damage index (EDX) that reflects the cost to human health from pollution associated with vehicle tailpipe emissions, vehicle manufacturing and disposal, and the production and distribution of auto fuel and electricity.
A comparison of three models that are available in both electric and gasoline-fueled versions—the Mini Cooper Hardtop, Volvo XC40 Recharge Twin, and Ford F-150—demonstrates that while the EV versions have lower environmental impacts than their internal combustion engine (ICE) counterparts, heavier and less efficient vehicles cause more environmental damage, whether they are gasoline-fueled or electric.
External link
ACEEE blog, 28 Feb 2023: GreenerCars 2023: Efficiency and weight – not just electric vs. gas – shape environmental impact
30 Mar 2023: UK government pledges world-leading electric car targets
23 Mar 2023: Dieselgate: millions of ‘extremely’ polluting cars still on Europe’s roads, says report
2 Mar 2023: Italy rejects ‘ideological’ EU ban on combustion engines
28 Feb 2023: Toxic smog: Iran criticised for winter 'air pollution catastrophe'
17 Feb 2023: Italy brands EU plan to outlaw fossil fuel cars a ‘suicide’
17 Feb 2023: City of Hamburg bans new combustion engine taxis from 2025
17 Feb 2023: Traffic-linked air pollution exceeds WHO limits across UK, EU capitals: study
16 Feb 2023: EU retains combustion engines for trucks with 90% CO2 reduction target
10 Feb 2023: Ultra low emissions zone expansion cut London pollutants by up to 26% – study
10 Feb 2023: Plug-in hybrids pollute more than claimed in cities and on commutes, new tests show
3 Feb 2023: Electric car sales gain pace, despite hurdles
23 Jan 2023: German transport minister rejects autobahn speed limit after report shows climate benefits
20 Dec 2022: Toxic fumes are comin’: Truck pollution will double over Christmas
19 Dec 2022: Europe’s car industry must look to the future, not the past
21 Nov 2022: Black Friday exposes dark side of trucking
10 Nov 2022: EU Commission prioritises automaker profits in historic failure to reduce toxic pollution from cars and trucks
27 Oct 2022: Landmark deal for climate as EU agrees 2035 cut-off for polluting cars
29 Sep 2022: Carmakers’ global emissions 50% higher than reported
26 Aug 2022: California set to ban fossil fuel cars by 2035
15 Jul 2022: Parliament lawmakers raise e-fuels targets in bid to boost market
5 Jul 2022: EU deal on car CO2 standards leaves door ajar for e-fuels
29 Jun 2022: EU nations approve end to combustion engine sales by 2035
23 Jun 2022: EU’s 2035 ban on new thermal cars won’t spell the end of biofuels, industry says
17 Jun 2022: New EU standard must reduce vehicle pollution to lowest level feasible, say cities and civil society
10 Jun 2022: German car industry slams EU parliament’s 2035 ban on petrol, diesel cars
9 Jun 2022: EU Parliament passes ban on new petrol, diesel cars by 2035
19 May 2022: Most automakers fall short on climate goals: report
12 May 2022: Lawmakers back EU-wide ban on new fossil fuel cars from 2035, despite strong lobbying
18 Jan 2022: China car sector falling short of 'net zero' goals - Greenpeace
14 Jan 2022: Coal and trucks pushed US ‘further off track’ for climate targets in 2021
12 Jan 2022: US emissions roared back last year after pandemic drop, figures show
12 Jan 2022: Tough EU car emission rules ‘necessary’, says leader of key German state
15 Nov 2021: Major European carmakers will hit emissions targets too easily, research shows
16 Sep 2021: Oil and SUVs: Why Canada’s emissions have risen since Trudeau took office
9 Sep 2021: German industry gears up for its next lobbying battle: the internal combustion engine
7 Sep 2021: VW’s electric push ‘can’t go any faster’, says CEO
8 Jul 2021: EU fines VW and BMW £750m for colluding with Daimler on fumes
28 Jun 2021: Volkswagen to stop selling combustion engines in Europe by 2035
11 Jun 2021: Brussels promises new EU legislation for end-of-life vehicles in 2022
3 Jun 2021: Carmakers are killing our right to clean air
10 May 2021: Investors chide Toyota's Toyoda for questioning combustion car ban
7 May 2021: How low can you go? Volkswagen throws down the emissions gauntlet
19 Feb 2021: Australia risks being left behind in petrol-fuelled 'parallel world' as other countries embrace electric cars
4 Feb 2021: Virus lockdowns caused shift to ‘private mobility’: report
4 Feb 2021: Fleet electrification would cut road transport emissions by 50%, study finds
7 Dec 2020: Denmark agrees deal to have 775,000 electric cars by 2030
19 Nov 2020: FACTBOX - Fossil fuel-based vehicle bans across the world
16 Nov 2020: UK to ban sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 - FT
12 Nov 2020: LEAK: Only zero-emission cars will win EU green investment label
12 Nov 2020: People plan to drive more post-Covid, climate poll shows
3 Nov 2020: Electric car sales set to treble, but there’s a risk of growth fizzling without tougher targets
4 Jun 2020: Transportation bill provisions are a first step for enabling lower-carbon transportation
25 May 2020: First Dieselgate ruling by Germany’s top court set to flag legal clarity
6 Apr 2020: Dieselgate motorists in search of compensation boosted by EU court
31 Mar 2020: Stakeholders call for ‘reality check’ on EU road transport and energy policy
30 Mar 2020: EU car lobby’s renewed attack on cars CO2 targets - on the back of COVID-19
10 Mar 2020: Exxon lobbyists urged Commission to tune down car CO2 rules
3 Mar 2020: Luxembourg becomes first country to make public transport free
6 Feb 2020: Four things the UK government must do to phase out petrol, diesel and hybrid cars by 2035
4 Feb 2020: Launching climate summit, UK plans to bring forward ban on new petrol and diesel cars
4 Feb 2020: Launching climate summit, UK plans to bring forward ban on new petrol and diesel cars
27 Jan 2020: Jeep, Suzuki models face EU ban for breaking emissions rules
23 Jan 2020: German raids over suspected Mitsubishi diesel fraud
12 Dec 2019: EU Green Deal to tune up car CO2 rules
8 Nov 2019: I applaud Bristol for banning diesel vehicles. But why not ban all private cars?
8 Nov 2019: GM’s siding with Trump administration reveals a lack of commitment to clean, efficient vehicles
8 Nov 2019: High time we start taking renewable electricity seriously as a transport fuel
15 Feb 2019: Electric cars now cheaper than petrol or diesel alternatives, report finds
18 Dec 2018: EU agrees on 37.5% CO2 reduction for cars by 2030
27 Nov 2018: Germany’s emissions fiasco – time to get priorities straight
23 Aug 2018: Germany blocks ‘Dieselgate’ investigation in France
15 Mar 2018: Off-limit new diesel cars evade European city bans
15 Mar 2018: Dieselgate – 35 million manipulated cars on our streets and still no action
15 Mar 2018: UK car industry must pay up for toxic air 'catastrophe', super-inquiry finds
6 Mar 2018: The death of diesel: can struggling industry woo back consumers?
5 Mar 2018: Diesel slide continues as UK car sales fall for 11th month running
28 Feb 2018: German court rules cities can ban diesel cars to tackle pollution
27 Feb 2018: The great European fuel shift?
23 Feb 2018: German court delays ruling on city bans for heavily polluting diesel cars
15 Feb 2018: German cities to trial free public transport to cut pollution
11 Jan 2018: Synthetic fossil fuels: A dieselgate 2.0 in the making?
10 Oct 2017: Secrecy around air pollution controls in cars faces legal challenge
26 Sep 2017: Will new EU buildings law help pave the way for an electro-mobile future?
6 Apr 2017: Diesel vehicles will disappear sooner than expected, says EU industry chief
25 Jan 2017: Four trends that could clean up road transport
6 Jan 2017: Diesel cars are 10 times more toxic than trucks and buses, data shows
