Hybrids and electrics among World Green Car finalists

The finalists for the 2014 World Green Car award have been announced. The shortlist, drawn up by a panel of automotive journalists, consists of the BMW i3, Honda Accord Hybrid, Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, Volkswagen XL1, Audi A3 Sportback e-tron and the Audi e-gas.

A 69-strong jury will now review the final six before a winner is revealed at the New York International Auto Show (NAIAS) on April 17.

Sales of electric vehicles in the UK rose significantly last year, recently released statistics have revealed.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said that 2.26m vehicles were registered in the UK in 2013 – a 10.8% rise on 2012.

Some 32,727 hybrid and electric plug-in cars were registered, representing an above average rise of 17.5%. 

Last month, UK deputy prime minister Nick Clegg announced a strategy that he hopes will boost the popularity of EVs in Britain. The government will spend £9.3m on charging infrastructure and an industry campaign to promote the benefits of emissions-free transport.

“Electric cars are one of the most promising of our green industries and we want to secure the UK’s position as a global leader in both the production and adoption of these vehicles”, he said. 

“The extremely low running costs of electric cars help drivers save money and we are allocating more than £9m to boost chargepoints across the country to help drivers to go green.This means we can lower UK emissions and create high-tech engineering and manufacturing jobs to boost our economy.” 

Further reading:

Ecotricity launches 1,000 miles discount tariff for electric car drivers

Fuel-efficient cars driving automotive market’s growth

Norway experiences electric car boom in sustainable transport revolution

Nick Clegg: electric cars ‘most promising’ of British green industries

UK hybrid and electric car registrations up 17.5% in a year