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\ABS\Auto Blog Samurai\data\insurance\wwwallstatecom\the+toyota+prius+ranked+highly+in+the+report_16000325_800567843_0_0_7035199_300.jpg "The Toyota Prius ranked highly in the report.")
The fuel crisis, coupled with the environmental impact of vehicles, has brought on a new age of energy efficient cars. To help foster this massive overhaul of the automotive industry, an independent, non-profit group of citizens and scientists began the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).
One of the functions of this group is to rate hybrid cars for efficiency, cost, and greenhouse emissions. This month, the UCS released their second annual hybrid scorecard.
What does the scorecard include?
The UCS Hybrid Scorecard rates cars with regard to four factors. First, the UCS establishes the combined miles per gallon (MPG), or the average of highway and city. This number is estimated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The second piece establishes the environmental improvement score, on a scale of one to 10, which compares the emissions of the hybrid to the conventional fuel counterpart of each model.
The third category, titled Hybrid Value, assesses the cost-effectiveness of each model.
The final category investigates the forced features, or the premium features that come standard with each given hybrid. To get the ranking, the UCS then compares these standard features with those of the model's conventional fuel counterpart.
How automakers fared this year
The 2011 Hybrid Scorecard showed energy efficient cars have not made the impact the group has hoped for. While 34 cars were reviewed, only 13 lowered the emissions compared with the standard models by 25 percent, the news source reports.
Notable successes were the Toyota Prius, which ranked first in the non-luxury category for the second year in a row, and the Honda Civic Hybrid at second in the category. The UCS noted how the Prius has a combined mpg of 50, while the vehicle tacked on an environmental improvement score of 9.2 out of 10.
The UCS explained how automakers negotiated the actual efficiency of vehicles through a strong focus on performance, such as speed and visual appeal, the news source reports. The group also explained they felt automakers were shooting themselves in the feet by tacking on unneeded standard features that made the base price of energy efficient cars too high for consumers to pay.
Overall, the UCS was disappointed in the improvements and felt on the whole, automakers did not live up to expectations and promises made with regard to lowering emissions and abilities to save fuel, the news source reports. While green technology progresses, automakers will need to meet environmentalists halfway between cost and eco-friendly characteristics.
The UCS recommends using their scorecard as a guide for finding the best deal with hybrid cars. The organization notes the hybrid label does not always mean a more efficient or more eco-friendly automobile.
Consider using the UCS Hybrid Scorecard in conjunction with the EPA and the given car dealer, to ensure the choices you make as a consumer are the wisest.
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