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These are the 'Greenest' and 'Meanest' cars in 2015

As has become tradition, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) has come up with a ranking of what it refers to as the "greenest" cars of 2015, and, by way of contrast, a list of the so-called "meanest" cars, so those who value eco-friendliness over all else can choose which vehicles they should or should not consider buying. As you may expect, electric cars make up the majority of the greenest cars on the list, but, perhaps surprisingly to many, the Tesla Model S didn't make the cut. It's worth noting, too, that where the electricity an owner uses to charge their electric vehicle has a big impact on its overall environmental impact. "A car that is charged using electricity generated from natural gas or renewables is going to have significantly less impact on the environment than one charged on a coal-heavy grid," says ACEEE lead vehicle analyst Shruti Vaidyanathan. The ACEEE's list for 2015 looks very different than it did in 2014. It's an interesting collection, though – and we're sure this goes without saying, really – we'd recommend doing a bit more research into each vehicle and how it might fit into your daily life before making any purchase decisions. Click here to see the ACEEE's list of the Greenest and Meanest vehicles sold in the United States in 2015. Green Bugatti Chevrolet Fiat GM GMC Mercedes-Benz Nissan RAM smart Toyota greenest greenest cars

San Diego Car2go fleet replaced with 400 2014 Smart Fortwo EVs

The city of San Diego was the first in the US to get an all-electric fleet of Car2go carsharing vehicles. Back in 2011, the Daimler-owned carsharing service started offering local drivers the chance to get to their destination in a battery-powered car for around 40 cents a minute. It's proven to be a success, with over a million trips taken in the city since launch. Car2go has been changing how it runs the program, introducing charging incentives last year. Now, the entire fleet of EVs is going to be replaced with 400 2014 Smart Fortwo Electric Drive vehicles. The news is welcome, since each iteration of the Fortwo ED improves on the previous version, but it again highlights just how long we will have to wait in the US to get the totally updated EV. If it was coming before 2016 or early 2017, as is currently the plan, maybe Car2go wouldn't be so eager to update right now. As always, you asked and we listened! As always, you asked and we listened! We are very excited to share the news that beginning today we are replacing our current fleet with 400 powerful 2014 smart fortwo Electric Drives. The addition of our new vehicles will also increase the car2go San Diego fleet size providing members with more vehicles throughout the Home Area. These brand new vehicles, while maintaining their zero-emissions footprint, have a much smoother acceleration, and overall, a more comfortable car2go driving experience that we know our members will truly enjoy (especially on the freeway). We hope to have the entire fleet switched out in a very short period of time. When driving a new car2go vehicle you'll notice stronger acceleration and breaking. Due to the different handling experiences, you should familiarize yourself with the two cosmetic differences between the old and new vehicles. The new vehicles will have the smart logo inside of the grille whereas old vehicles have the logo on the hood. The car2go logo is also larger on the new vehicles. Since launch, the car2go Home Area has expanded to 45 square miles within San Diego, providing all of our members the flexibility to get to their destinations at their convenience without having to return the vehicle. Today, we have seen nearly 1,000,000 car2go trips taken since our initial launch in San Diego in November 2011 as the largest electric carsharing fleet in the nation. We are constantly striving to be member focused to get you what you want and appreciate all the feedback we receive from our members.

Daimler cutting Mercedes and Smart prices by 18% in Switzerland

Automakers including Daimler and PSA are now offering substantial discounts in Switzerland to make it more affordable for Swiss customers to buy their cars, according to the latest from Bloomberg. The move, instituted by two of Europe's largest automakers, comes in response to the surprise decision last week by the Swiss National Bank to suddenly abandon its longstanding policy of capping trading of the Swiss Franc to 1.20 francs per euro. The policy has sent the value of the franc soaring, making imports into Switzerland less expensive while increasing the value of its exports. The discounts being offered by the automakers could therefore be viewed more as price adjustments to better match the changing currency value rather than an actual incentive. But whichever way you look at it, a new Mercedes or Smart will now cost Swiss buyers 18 percent less than the list price, while Peugeot and Citroen dealers in the Confoederatio Helvetica are chopping 1,000 francs ($1,144) off the price of a new passenger car or 1,500 francs ($1,716) for a new commercial vehicle. Conversely, high-end Swiss watchmakers like Rolex and Patek Philippe are looking at increasing their prices to keep up with the currency fluctuation, particularly in Japan, where the yen has dropped 17 percent against the franc in the past few days. News Source: BloombergImage Credit: Sandro Campardo/Keystone/AP Mercedes-Benz smart Car Buying Citroen Peugeot switzerland

Smart Fortwo gets Twinamic dual-clutch transmission

When we drove the new Smart Fortwo and Forfour back in November, Daimler was still working out the kinks in its dual-clutch transmission. But a few months later, the German automaker has apparently finished tinkering with the automatic, and now Smart is introducing it as an option on the new Fortwo in its home market. The six-speed DCT - dubbed "Twinamic" - is being rolled out initially on the 71-horsepower version of the 1.0-liter naturally aspirated inline-three, netting a 0-62 time of 15.1 seconds. That's slow, but it's a solid 0.8 seconds quicker off the line than the same engine with the six-speed manual. Top speed (not exactly a city car's forte) remains pegged at 94 miles per hour. Fuel consumption and CO2 figures remain virtually unchanged, quoted at the same 4.1 liters per 100 kilometers (57 mpg converted from the more lenient European cycle) and a slightly worse 94 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer (instead of 93 with the manual). The first Fortwos with the DCT are slated to be delivered in March, available on the base model for an extra 1275 euros, tax-in (equivalent to $1,500 at today's rates) or 1000 euros ($1160) on the Passion, Prime and Proxy trim levels. Shifting is actuated automatically or can be controlled by the gear selector, but opt for the Sport package and you'll get shift paddles as well. Either way, it promises to deliver a much smoother experience than the widely lambasted robotized gearbox on the outgoing model. We suspect North American buyers will get this transmission at some point, but thus far, it remains unconfirmed. We've reached out to Daimler officials and will update this story if we hear more. smart fortwo now available for ordering with twinamic dual clutch transmission: Hands-on or automatic gear shifting As the first model of the new smart generation, the smart fortwo rated at 52 kW/71 hp is now available for ordering with the twinamic dual clutch transmission. This enables gear shifting to be carried out either fully automatically or manually. Manual shifting is possible using the selector lever in a separate gate or by means of the shift paddles included in the Sports package. The additional charge for the twinamic in Germany in the standard version is 1275 euros (RRP, incl. 19% VAT); in combination with the passion, prime and proxy lines 1000 euros (RRP, incl. 19% VAT). The dual clutch transmission is available in combination with the passion, prime and proxy equipment lines.

Aging Smart Fortwo ED to be sold alongside newer ICE model

The biggest thing to happen to the tiny Smart Fortwo in years is the redesign that we followed in the second half of 2014. While the internal combustion version of the new Fortwo will arrive in in the US later this year, we will have to wait "approximately a year after that" for the the EV version to come here. Mark Webster, the general manager of Smart USA, spoke to AutoblogGreen at the Detroit Auto Show this week, and said that the plug-in version of the 453 (Smart's internal code for the new ForTwo, which replaces the 451) will not be available in the US until late 2016 or perhaps even early 2017. What the means is that for around a year, Smart will sell the new gas-powered Fortwo next to old ED models on the same lot. While this is going to make the plug-in look a bit outdated, at least when the new ED goes on sale, it will come with a similar array of personalization and customization options as the current model does, Webster said. Any information beyond that is something we'll just have to sit and wait for. "Right now, we're not revealing too many statistics of the new cars becasue we're focusing on the EVs we have," he said, adding that, "We sold over 2,000 of these EVs last year and 921 in 2013. So we're doing very well." Smart sold 2,594 Fortwo EDs in the US last year. Despite this delay in getting the new electric Fortwo to market, Webster said that Daimler is very committed to EVs, and he personally also handles the B-Class Electric. "We have other models we're working on down the road that are dedicated EVs," he said, without going into further detail. Check out our review of the new ICE Fortwo here. Featured Gallery Smart Fortwo Electric Drive Vehicles: Detroit 2015 View 14 Photos Image Credit: Copyright 2015 Sebastian Blanco / AOL Green Detroit Auto Show smart Electric

Smart Fortwo Flashlight edition signs off in Detroit

It won't be long before the all-new Smart Fortwo arrives in showrooms around the world, and that includes the US market. But before it does, Daimler has rolled in to the Detroit Auto Show this year with this special edition of the outgoing model. Called the Flashlight edition, the special Smart is done up with an orange frame and either white or black body panels. The grille is finished in black, as are the split-spoke wheels, but their hubs and the mirror caps are in orange to match the frame. Inside it's all black leather with tone-on-tone black fabric inserts and contrasting orange trim. The special edition is based on the Passion trim level with the Cabrio roof. It also comes bundled with a whole mess of otherwise optional equipment at a substantial savings, and will be available in markets around the world with either the 71-horsepower atmospheric engine, the 84-horse turbo or the electric drive powertrain. smart fortwo edition flashlight: Spring is in the air Detroit/Stuttgart, Jan 12, 2015 Detroit/Stuttgart. A colourful smart cabrio special model is heralding the approach of spring: the exclusive smart fortwo edition flashlight can be ordered from January 2015. The limited special model is available in Europe as a cabrio with a petrol engine or electric drive. It will reach the first customers in April 2015. The bodypanels of the edition flashlight come in the colour matt crystal white, exclusively reserved for this model, or alternatively in deep black. By contrast, the tridion safety cell always comes in lava orange, as do the door mirror caps. Further distinctive features of this model are the black radiator grille, black alloy wheels in a 3-twin-spoke design with lava orange hub covers providing striking accents, H7 projection headlamps with a titanium-coloured background and the edition logo in the mirror triangle[1]. The premium, sporty feel continues in the interior. All edition flashlight models come with seats in black leather look with black fabric inserts on the seat backrests, orange stitching and a contrasting orange stripe that is also found on the kneepad. The 3-spoke leather sports steering wheel features orange stitching, as does the dashboard. The interior is rounded off by exclusive "edition flashlight" floor mats. The Audio-System basic is already on board as a standard feature. It comprises an RDS radio with USB and AUX ports for MP3 or CD player, two integrated loudspeakers and an additional drawer below the operating unit.

Smart Fortwo Brabus drops most of its camo

When we drove the new Smart Fortwo last month, we were impressed at how peppy and darty it felt – especially in turbo spec. But that was just enough to whet our appetites for an even sportier version, and fortunately that appears to be just what Daimler is cooking up right now. This latest batch of spy shots gives us an even better look at the Brabus version of the new Fortwo under development. As you can see, it has upgraded rolling stock sitting on a lower (and presumably sportier) suspension with dual tailpipes and what could even be some enhanced aero components. Here's hoping the production version doesn't match an orange interior to a red body like this prototype does, though the bigger question is what it's got not under the hood, but beneath the rear cargo shelf where the existing Fortwo has a choice of three-cylinder engines. As we reported earlier, the new Smart Fortwo Brabus is tipped to pack as much as 130 horsepower, but in what form, exactly, we don't know. It could come from an enhanced version of the 898cc turbo three in the current range-topping Fortwo, maybe a turbo version of the larger atmospheric 1.0-liter inline-three, or a different engine entirely – like a 1.2 sourced from Renault. Either way, the decision was likely made jointly by Daimler and Renault, which is expected to offer a similarly sporty version of the Twingo as well.

Recharge Wrap-up: Smart celebrates 5 years in China, France wants to quit diesel

Smart celebrated its fifth anniversary in China with a concert and two special editions of the Fortwo. The two editions include a China red version limited to five units and a Chinese New Year edition limited to 666 examples. Smart has 143 dealerships in 77 Chinese cities, with 60,000 cars sold so far. Daimler is also looking to expand its Car2go carsharing network in China using Smart vehicles. The anniversary celebration featured a live concert for 50,000 fans. Read more in the press release below. France has plans to build a nationwide EV charging network and retire diesel cars. Industrial group Bollore plans to build 16,000 public charging points in France, with the blessing of Finance Minister Emmanuel Macron, who says, "Through a private initiative with public support, we are accelerating our route towards having a truly national network of electric car charging points." Valls says, "In France, we have long favored the diesel engine. This was a mistake, and we will progressively undo that, intelligently and pragmatically." Read more at Charged EVs. Ninebot One is a self-balancing, hands-free electric unicycle. Think of it as a one-wheeled, no-hands Segway with some extra features. Like riding a bicycle for the firs time, it requires some getting used to, but the benefits seem worthwhile. Depending on the model, it offers up to nearly 19 miles of range on a single charge. It is fairly compact, using a single, 16-inch tire and it weighs about 30 pounds. Maximum speed ranges from 8 to 12 mph. It uses an app to track your travel and other stats. See what sort of training it takes to ride it in the video below, and learn more at the Ninebot website. A Tesla Model S owner has figured out a way to use a USB mouse with the car's center display. The car detected the mouse when plugged into the USB port, and placed a cursor on the display, allowing the user to control functions with the mouse. Trying some other USB devices, owners found that an external CD drive doesn't work with the audio system, nor does a USB keyboard. However, an owner was able to connect a USB floppy disk drive, for what it's worth. See it in action in the video below or read more at Teslarati. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Recharge Wrap-up: Shift to offer Teslas for Hire, Model S P85D beats Ferrari in drag race

A company called Shift plans to provide bikes and EVs for hire. Based in Las Vegas, NV, Shift will provide chauffeured ride services like Uber, but will also include a car- and bike-sharing service that delivers the desired wheels to the customer. Shift's fleet will include EVs like the Smart Fortwo Electric Drive and the Tesla Model S. Shift also promises that you will, "Be on your way within five minutes," which is a pretty tall order. Shift is scheduled to be available to members beginning this fall. Read more at The Car Connection. Nissan UK has confirmed the price of replacement batteries for the Leaf. UK drivers will be able to buy new batteries for 4,920 pounds (or about $7,738). That's considerably more than the price of $5,499 for US customers. Customers get 1,000 pounds back when they exchange their old battery. The original battery is covered under a five-year, 60,000-mile warranty, and most owners will never need to replace it. According to Nissan, only three replacement batteries have been sold out of 30,000 Leafs sold in Europe. Read more at Autocar. The Tesla Model S P85D walloped a Ferrari in an impromptu drag race video. The Ferrari driver pulls up alongside the Tesla and asks, "What you got in there?" before challenging him to a race. The Ferrari gets a head start, but the Tesla pulls out ahead quickly. The video also gets the reactions of some passengers to the car's mighty acceleration. See the video below and read the account of a drag race against a Lamborghini Aventador at Car Throttle. Australian website Drive has chosen their Cars of the Year in various categories. The Tesla Model S was a carryover winner for Luxury Car Over $80,000, but the Mercedes-Benz C200 narrowly overtook it to be crowned the overall winner. Regarding the Model S, one judge says, "This makes every other EV look at least a generation behind." The main thing that held the Tesla back from winning outright was the near-term lack of charging infrastructure. The judges did note Tesla's plans to build a network of Superchargers in Australia, but also pointed out that those plans exclude much of the country so far. See the video below and read more at Drive. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Car2go now has 1,000,000 members

Turns out, 1,000,000 people sharing 12,000 cars can have a big impact. Now that Car2go has claimed the seven-digit member figure (disclosure: I'm one of those million), the Daimler-owned carsharing company is, ahem, sharing a few figures in the traditional infographic format. Click the image above to enlarge it. Using cars in 29 "Home Areas" in eight countries around the world, Car2go members have driven 136,701,662 total miles over 32 million trips. Daimler also said that the average trip time was between 19 and 25 minutes. We have to assume that the 18 trips used as a "wedding getaway car" took a bit longer than that. Thus far, Car2go is open only in cities in Europe and North America, but we recently learned that expansion to Asia is in the works. The carsharing company has evolved since starting in 2009, adding more transportation options in some areas and turning members' cell phones into a gadget that can start and end trips. Find more in the press release below. car2go Reaches 1,000,000 Members, Marking Its Spot As The Largest Carsharing Company In The World In Celebration of 1M Member Milestone, car2go Reveals User Behavior Data Since Launch AUSTIN, Texas, Dec. 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- car2go, the largest carsharing company in the world, announced today that its revolutionary, one-way carsharing service has reached one million members with access to 12,000 car2go vehicles in 60 cities within 29 operating Home Areas and eight countries across the globe. Additionally, for the first time ever, car2go revealed user behavior data, illustrating its sheer growth since the company launched in 2009. "Providing our members the best car2go experience with their honest feedback has always been such an important part of our overall growth strategy," said Paul DeLong, CMO of car2go North America. "We've seen tremendous growth since we first launched, and the strong adoption rate is a testament that our valued members are truly responding to our efforts to help them get from Point A to Point B with absolute ease. We know that we can't rest - we will continue to innovate and improve car2go in our existing markets, and introduce car2go to additional cities around the world.