BMW’s i3 has been named Green Car Journal’s 2015 Green Car of the Year.
The award was announced at the LA Auto Show and the finalists also included the Audi A3 TDI, Chevrolet Impala Bi-Fuel, Honda Fit, and VW Golf.
It is an innovative electric car built with a lightweight carbon fiber passenger cell and an aluminum drive module.
The Green Car of the Year award is an honor widely recognized as the auto industry’s most important environmental accolade.
Green Car Journal, published since 1992, celebrates the high-profile award’s 10th anniversary at the L.A. Auto Show this year.
BMW’s i3 is a milestone vehicle in many respects and illustrates the automaker’s expansive vision of future motoring, said, Ron Cogan, editor, publisher of Green Car Journal.
It is purposefully designed with a small environmental footprint and zero emissions, offering the best features of an electric vehicle with the functionality of an available on board engine-generator that nearly doubles its battery electric range, he added.
It is the first all-electric vehicle to win Green Car Journal’s Green Car of the Year. The car benefits from ‘project i’ initiative by BMW that focuses on future mobility and strategies for sustainable transportation.
This project initiative has helped in adapting innovative technologies, materials, and construction methods that led to designing a mainstream model.
The i3 is fully a battery electric car, but the optional REx gasoline engine-generator enables extended driving range.
The jury for the final selection round of the competition involved eminent car collectors, TV personalities, auto experts and industrialists.
The magazine’s vetting process considers all vehicles, fuels, and technologies as the field of nominees are narrowed down to five finalists that significantly raise the bar in environmental performance.
As finalists for 2015 Green Car of the Year, the Audi A3 TDI, BMW i3, Chevrolet Impala Bi-Fuel, Honda Fit, and Volkswagen Golf are additionally honored with Green Car Journal’s 2015 Green Car Product of Excellence.
Sabeena Wahid
[email protected]