2015 Smart Fortwo Passion Coupe on 2040-cars

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ACEEE's greenest car for 2014 is Smart Fortwo electric, Tesla Model S just average

Every year, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) looks into the soul of the American automobile market and figures out which vehicles are evil. This is how it comes up with a "meanest" vehicle rating. Wait, no, that's not right. In reality, ACEEE rates vehicles using Environmental Protection Agency and California Air Resources Board fuel economy data and "other specifications reported by automakers" to find both the meanest and greenest vehicles of the year. In other words, the least and the most efficient. For 2014, the greenest vehicle is the Smart ForTwo Electric Drive while the meanest is the Class 2B Ram 2500. The results are published over on Greener Cars. The highest possible score in ACEEE's formula would result in 100, but the Smart ED won with a 59, showing just how much further the industry has to go to really green up its act, according to ACEEE. Aside from fuel use, ACEEE looks at pollution - particulates, greenhouse gases, etc. - from vehicle and fuel production and its effect on health. The average vehicle, ACEEE says, scores a 37 while those mean ones only manage a 17 or so. It's interesting to note that 59 is the highest score ACEEE has ever handed out, but the calculations were also changed for 2014 (detailed PDF here). Oh, and in case you were curious about the ever-popular Tesla Model S? The ACEEE said the 85-kWh model was totally average with 37 points, mostly because it's so heavy. Other highly ranked green vehicles this year included the Prius family (shocker) as well as the Honda Civic Hybrid, the Mitsubishi Mirage and the Lexus CT 200H. Last year, the Toyota Prius C was named the greenest vehicle and Ford drove away with the meanest title, thanks to three vehicles, the F-350 FFV and F-250 FFV trucks and the E-350 Wagon van. You can see winners of earlier years here and this year's rankings below.

Someone is tipping over Car2go Smart ForTwos again

Reportedly, a Car2go ForTwo was tipped over in Seattle on Wednesday, and the Denver police are currently investigating five incidents. "Technically, yeah it is cow tipping, but I'm hoping that it doesn't catch on," says Car2Go customer Daniel Martin from Seattle. "Car tipping" has been a thing ever since microcars became widely available last century. Many a BMW Isetta or a Mini owner left for work only to find their vehicle lifted to another spot or tipped over. In Europe, where plastic-bodied, diesel-engined quadricycles are popular with teenagers too young for a full driver's license, the light vehicles can sometimes be found lying on their roof or on their side – and it's not uncommon for Dutch microcars to end up in the country's numerous canals. Smart cars are especially vulnerable in the eyes of troublemakers, and Car2go ForTwos repeatedly fall victim to night time shenanigans. Multiple vehicles were also damaged during Vancouver's hockey riots in 2011. San Francisco has also had its share of not-so-Smart car vandalism, and the image above shows a car being inspected after a 2014 incident during a "spree" of Fortwo tippings. Car2go says that if your rental car is found not sitting on its wheels, they should be contacted so a solution can be found. Trying to lift a 1,800-pound city car by yourself isn't the kind of morning workout anyone needs. Related Video: Image Credit: Bloomberg via Getty Images Auto News Green Weird Car News smart Transportation Alternatives Ownership car2go smart car vandalism fortwo

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