The all-new second-generation Chevrolet Volt is the 2016 Green Car of the Year.
With three plug-in hybrids, a hybrid and a good old internal combustion engine in the running, this year’s list of finalists lacked the green vehicle sexiness of any pure electrics, but the lineup was still a solid one.
The Volt beat out the Audi A3 e-tron plug-in hybrid, along with the Honda Civic, Hyundai Sonata and Toyota Prius for the award, sponsored by the Green Car Journal, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.
In its formative years, the pickings of qualifying models was fairly sparse, but with each passing year more and more new models have qualified for consideration. The five finalists, Green Car Journal editor Ron Cogan noted, “reflect an expanding ‘green’ car field that embraces diverse fuels and technologies as answers to a more efficient and low-carbon future.”
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The Green Car of the Year is selected through a majority vote by a jury that includes Jay Leno, plus leaders of noted environmental and efficiency organizations including Jean-Michel Cousteau, president of Ocean Futures Society; Matt Petersen, board member of Global Green USA; Dr. Alan Lloyd, President Emeritus of the International Council on Clean Transportation; Mindy Lubber, President of CERES; and Kateri Callahan, President of the Alliance to Save Energy.
During the award’s vetting process, Green Car Journal editors consider all vehicles, fuels and technologies as an expansive field of potential candidates is narrowed down to a final five. Finalists are selected for their achievements in raising the bar in environmental performance. Availability to the mass market is a factor to ensure honoured models have the potential to make a real difference in environmental impact.
