The Nissan LEAF and Chevrolet Volt are two highly anticipated “Green” cars coming out this year. But, who is the “Greenest Automaker” of them all? According to the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), that honor currently goes to Honda for the fifth consecutive year.

Toyota and Hyundai tied for second place. VW was fourth, followed by Nissan, Ford, GM, and Chrysler. Together, these automakers’ vehicles account for more than 90 percent of cars and trucks sold in the U.S.

This year, UCS indicated that all automakers improved their emission scores, which they attributed to state and federal smog-forming laws that place demands on the automakers to reduce emissions from cars. UCS anticipates that new fuel economy and global warming emissions standards that are being phased in now will help reduce the pollutants produced by cars, too.

The determination of Greenest Automaker is based on government data for model year 2008 (the latest year available) and looks at the average per-mile smog pollution and global warming emissions of the entire fleet of vehicles sold by each automaker. UCS began ranking automakers based on these criteria in 1998 and has noted that the gap between “best” and “worst” automaker has significantly narrowed since then.

Buying a Green Car Today

The Green Search on CarLocate.com makes it easier for you to shop for an environmentally friendly car.

By selecting Green Search on our site, you’ll find: 

• More than just hybrids… our Green Search returns fuel-efficient gasoline, diesel, and flex-fuel vehicles, too.
• New cars with an EPA standard of a combined fuel economy of 23.1 mpg or above. They also have an EPA Greenhouse Gas Score of six or above.
• Used cars with an EPA standard of a combined fuel economy of 23.1 mpg or above.
• Additionally, even if you don’t use the Green Search directly to find a car, anytime you see the green leaf symbol () next to a vehicle listing on our site, it means that car meets our Green Search criteria. 

Ready to start shopping for an eco-friendly car? Give our Green Search a try! New | Used.

By now, you may have heard about the proposal from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to change the fuel economy labels in the windows of new cars to make them more informative.

Your input is still needed on the design of the new labels. Beginning Aug. 30 and continuing for 60 days, the public can comment on the label design options.

“We are asking the American people to tell us what they need to make the best economic and environmental decisions when buying a new car,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “New fuel economy labels will keep pace with the new generation of fuel efficient cars and trucks rolling off the line, and provide simple, straightforward updates to inform consumers about their choices in a rapidly changing market. We want to help buyers find the vehicles that meet their needs, keep the air clean and save them money at the pump.”

You can view the proposed rule changes and the two label designs at http://www.epa.gov/fueleconomy/ and submit your comments to newlabels@epa.gov.

Why New Labels?

The new labels are intended to help provide you with straightforward comparisons across all types of vehicles, including electric vehicles (EV), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), and conventional gasoline-powered vehicles.

In addition, the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 calls on the EPA and DOT to rate vehicles according to fuel economy, greenhouse gas emissions, and smog forming pollutants. The new designs are intended to help provide enhanced information on a vehicle’s efficiency and environmental performance in compliance with the Act.

What If I Am Shopping for a New Car Now?

If you’re looking to buy a more environmentally friendly car now, CarLocate.com offers you the convenient “Green Search” option to help you quickly and easily identify cars that are more eco-friendly on the site. What Green Means on CarLocate.com.

• From the New Car search page, click on “New Green Vehicles” to find eco-friendly new cars in your area.
• From the Used Car search page, click on “Used Green vehicles” to find eco-friendly used cars in your area.
• Also, any time you browse vehicle listings on CarLocate.com, a green leaf symbol
  ( ) will display next to any car that meets the Green Search criteria.

Want to know what others are saying about the new fuel economy labels? Join in the discussion on our automotive forum.

A few days ago, we blogged about the Nissan LEAF, a completely electric compact sedan from Nissan that will debut in the U.S. this year. But how will the U.S. – or any other country, for that matter – adapt its infrastructure to support electric vehicles (EVs)? Enter the “EV Project.” 

To help ensure the LEAF will be a viable consumer product, Nissan has collaborated with a number of government agencies and other companies. Through the EV Project, an entire global infrastructure is being established to support the functions of the Nissan LEAF and other globally connected electric/hybrid vehicles.

The EV Project serves as more than a simple support system for electric cars. An initial group of test markets are being set in place across the U.S. to aid in the analysis of the overall EV support system. Project leaders hope the data collected will allow them to streamline deployment when full production numbers of the LEAF and other EVs are reached.

A number of countries have already joined the EV Project including China, the U.K., and Israel. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Energy has granted the Electric Transportation Engineering Corporation nearly $100 million to install approximately 11,000 charging stations that support electric vehicles.

By fourth quarter 2010, the EV Project hopes to install 10,950 Level 2 (220V) chargers in five states to support the initial 4,700 Nissan LEAF cars that will enter production this year.

For more on the EV Project, visit www.theevproject.com.