Five of the Most Popular Models of Eco-Friendly Cars

Of the 1,530,641 cars sold in the USA in March 2014, 4.48 percent were cars based on environment-friendly technologies, according to research carried out by the website, HybridCars.com, and the market research company, Baum & Associates.

Hybrid cars, which consist of a gasoline-powered engine that works in conjunction with a battery-powered electric motor, were the most popular type of eco-friendly cars. Some 43,790 hybrid cars were sold in March 2014, accounting for 2.86 percent of total car sales in that month, states the research results.

Diesel cars were the second most popular type of environment-friendly cars. Sales of diesel cars totalled 15,621 in March 2014, representing 1.02 percent of total car sales.

Plug-in hybrid cars and battery electric cars each accounted for 0.3 percent of total car sales in the USA in March 2014, with total sales of both types of car just below 4,600.
 

Here is a round-up of five of the most popular eco-friendly cars on the market.

Toyota Prius

The most popular model of hybrid car was the Toyota Prius Liftback with sales of 10,917, representing almost one-quarter of total sales of hybrid cars and 0.7 percent of all cars sold in March 2014.

The Prius Liftback has a 1.8 liter engine and an electric motor that is powered by a nickel-metal hydride battery pack. Its fuel efficiency is 51 miles per gallon (mpg) of regular gasoline for city driving and 48 mpg for highway driving, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. The basic version – the Prius One – costs around $24,000, while the top-of-the range Prius Five can be purchased for about $31,000.

Toyota Camry

Another Toyota car – the Camry Hybrid – was the second best-selling model of hybrid car, although its sales were some way behind those of the Prius Liftback. Some 4,287 Camry Hybrid cars were sold in March 2014, accounting for 9.8 percent of hybrid car sales and 0.3 percent of total car sales.

With a four-cylinder, 2.5-liter engine; a 105-kilowatt (kW) electric motor; and a 245-volt nickel-metal hydride battery pack, the Camry Hybrid’s fuel efficiency is 43 mpg for city driving and 39 mpg on the highway. Retail prices start at around $26,000.

Ford Fusion

Ford’s Fusion Hybrid was the third most popular model of hybrid car in March 2014, according to the research results. Its sales increased by 26.1 percent to 3,903 compared with February 2014. This gave it shares of 8.9 percent of total hybrid car sales and 0.25 percent of total car sales.

The Ford Fusion Hybrid has a 2.0-liter engine and an electric motor that runs on a lithium-ion battery pack. Fuel efficiency is 47 mpg for both city and highway driving. Retail prices range from around $27,000 to around $32,000.

Nissan Leaf

The Nissan Leaf was by far the most popular model of battery electric car, accounting for more than half (54.8 percent) of total sales of this type of car in March 2014. Its sales increased by 75.9 percent in comparison with February 2014 to 2,507 cars, representing almost 0.2 percent of total car sales.

Manufactured in Tennessee and sold all in all 50 states, the Nissan Leaf has an estimated range of 75 miles on a fully charged battery, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Retail prices start at around $29,000.

Tesla S Model

The only other model of battery electric car to sell more than 200 cars was the Tesla Model S. However, its sales declined by -7.1 percent to 1,300 cars in March 2014 when compared with February 2014.

The Tesla Model S is available with either a standard 60 kilowatt-hour (kW-hr) or a high-performance 85kW-hr lithium-ion battery pack. The standard version has an estimated range of 208 miles on a fully charged battery, while the performance version’s estimated range is 265 miles, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Prices range from around $70,000 for the standard version to about $95,000 for the performance version.

Cars based on environment-friendly technologies consume less fossil fuel and generate lower carbon dioxide emissions than traditional gasoline-powered cars. Although total sales of eco-friendly cars are increasing, it will be some time before they account for a sizeable share of the automotive market.

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