SOLAR TODAY - June 2010

nISSAn

AUDI
HOnDA

Clockwise from top left: Nissan Leaf: A couple of years ago, Project Better

Place launched plans to install EV-recharging infrastructure in markets with high gas prices and short commutes: Israel first, then Denmark, Portugal, Hawaii and the San Francisco Bay Area. Nissan/Renault contracted to build the car for these markets, and here it is — a mainstream compact family sedan with a great big battery.

mITSUBISHI

engine. Driven by an adult, the most frugal version got 41 mpg city/50 mpg highway. Following the success of the Honda Insight hybrid last year, the factory dropped a sporty CR body onto a souped-up Insight drive train to produce what may become the coolest car a kid could have in the ‘10s.

Audi A3 TDI: Sharing a 2-liter turbocharged 140-hp engine with the Volkswagen TDI models, Audi’s small front-wheel-drive diesel sedan is even more efficient thanks to a slightly more slippery body style. Is it worth $8,000 more than a Jetta TDI? Drive it to find out.

Chevy Aveo: Built by Daewoo in Korea, the Aveo is GM’s entry-level sedan. It’s well-made and nimble enough in traffic, and the 10-year cost-to-own is almost unbeatable for a new four-door.

Honda CR-Z: The coolest car a kid could have in the ‘80s was the tiny Honda
CR-X hatchback, basically a slick little two-seater with a screaming 1.5-liter
Mitsubishi i-MiEV: Derived from an existing “city car” with a 660-cc engine,
the egg-shaped i-MiEV is designed for quick handling in heavy traffic. It’s
said to offer plenty of headroom so four adults can be comfortable on short
trips, and the electric motor produces as much power as the turbocharged
engine in the original car. Shown: the delivery van version.

one. Buying a fuel-efficient used car is often the more cost-effective way both to save money and to reduce the household’s carbon footprint.

How to read the chart: Cars are arranged on the chart by motor type, and then in order of their estimated cost to buy and operate.

Curb weight reflects the car’s general heft, in pounds. It’s what the car weighs with a full tank of gas but no passengers or luggage.

MPG is miles per gallon, according to tests
conducted by the EPA. The EPA gives mileage
for city driving, highway driving and combined;
we’ve shown the city and highway figures. If you
do mostly stop-and-go driving — neighborhood
errands, deliveries or taxi-cab driving, for instance
— the city number is more relevant. To convert
MPG to kilometers per liter, multiply by 0.425.

Price is the manufacturer’s suggested retail price in U.S. dollars (for new cars) and approximate retail market value for used cars. Prices do not include federal or state incentives for low-emission vehicles, so after-tax pricing for

solartoday.org SOLAR TODA Y June 2010 41 electric vehicles (EVs) and some hybrids may be significantly lower than shown here. The federal tax credit for zero-emission vehicles is currently $7,500.

Seats means number of seats, according to the manufacturer. If you carpool or plan to transport whole soccer teams, this is an important number. You might feel better about carbon emissions if you calculate pounds of CO2 per passenger-mile. We’ve done it for you, and the column labeled “ 12,000-mile carbon per seat”