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2015 Green Car Of The Year finalists announced, run alt-fuel gamut

The 2015 edition of the Green Car of the Year award is following right in the footsteps of previous years with a variety of alt-fuel powertrains making the just-announced finalists list. You've got your plug-in vehicle (the BMW i3), your compressed natural gas (the Chevy Impala Bi-Fuel), your high-efficiency diesel (the Audi A3 TDI), your 40+ mile-per-gallon gas engine (the Honda Fit) and, finally, a car that can do a little bit of everything (the VW Golf). The Golf is available – at least in some parts of the US – with three different powertrains: a 2.0-liter diesel, a gasoline engine and all-electric drive. The Impala can burn either natural gas or gasoline in its 3.6-liter engine. The A3 is an efficiency champ, able to get 73.5 mpg on some European tests. The i3 can be a pure electric vehicle or come with a short range extending engine. And the Fit brings 41 miles to the gallon in a practical, affordable package. The GCOY award is announced every year at the Los Angeles Auto Show by Green Car Journal. The committee doesn't just take the fuel-saving technology into account, but also a vehicle's "availability to the mass market." Last year, the Honda Accord Hybrid/Plug-In Hybrid won top honors, following up on wins from the Ford Fusion models (plug-in hybrid and hybrid) for 2013, the Honda Civic Natural Gas for 2012 and the Chevrolet Volt for 2011. FINALISTS ANNOUNCED FOR 2015 "GREEN CAR OF THE YEAR"" Green Car Journal to Reveal Winner of 10th Annual Award at LA Auto Show" Press & Trade Days, November 20 LOS ANGELES, CA (October 21, 2014) – Green Car Journal has announced its five finalists for the magazine's high-profile 2015 Green Car of the Year® program. The 2015 models include the Audi A3 TDI, BMW i3, Chevrolet Impala Bi-Fuel, Honda Fit, and VW Golf. The Green Car of the Year® award, an honor widely recognized as the auto industry's most important environmental accolade, celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. An increasing number of vehicle models are considered for the Green Car of the Year® program each year, a reflection of the auto industry's expanding efforts in offering new vehicles with higher efficiency and improved environmental impact. Green Car Journal has been honoring the most important "green" vehicles every year at the LA Auto Show, since its inaugural award announced at the show in 2005.

Volkswagen Group recalls 281,505 VWs and Audis for fuel leaks

The Basics: Volkswagen Group is recalling 281,505 total Volkswagen and Audi brand products in the United States for potential fuel leaks. Certain versions of the Audi A3, A6, A7, Q5, and Q7 are affected. In addition, some versions of the Volkswagen Golf, Golf SportWagen, and Golf GTI fall under the recall. It's unclear if vehicles outside of the United States will be recalled as well. The Problem: There are actually three separate recalls for three separate issues that all pertain to leaky fuel. All three recalls were issued simultaneously. The risk of unintended ignition is the main concern here. First off, 2012-2013 Audi A6 and Audi A7 models [28,249 cars] are being recalled because of a degrading fuel hose in the engine compartment. Secondly, 143,214 gas-powered 2009-2012 Audi Q5s and 2007-2012 Audi Q7s are being recalled. The fuel cap may crack on these vehicles, leaking fuel. Finally, 110,042 total units of the 2015-2016 Volkswagen Golf, Golf SportWagen, GTI, Audi A3 sedan, and A3 Cabriolet will be recalled because of fuel leaking from the evaporative emissions system. Injuries/Deaths: According to Reuters, Volkswagen has reported no injuries or deaths related to the fuel leaks. In addition, the company has said there have been no fires started due to the leaks. The Fix: Three separate issues means three separate fixes. Volkswagen and Audi will be reaching out to customers soon, though the parts aren't yet available. For the A6 and A7, Audi will simply replace the under hood hose. For the Q5 and Q7, dealers will clean the pump flange and install a butyl rubber band to protect the pump. Finally, the affected Golf and A3 models will have the suction cup in the emissions system replaced. If you own one: Volkswagen and Audi will begin contacting owners starting next month regarding a fix. Related Video: News Source: NHTSA, Reuters Recalls Audi Volkswagen

Elon Musk says VW scandal proves limits of fossil fuel cars

Tesla Motors chief Elon Musk didn't appear to mince words when commenting on Volkswagen's diesel-emissions scandal when making comments at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy conference in Berlin this week, according to Bloomberg News. Musk called the news of scandal "obviously bad." He also used the opportunity to note that he thought the German automotive industry may be lacking when it came to getting its powertrains to cut emissions. Pretty tough talk in Berlin. Musk did note that, when it came to clean electricity generation, Germany was ahead of many countries. But he also used the occasion to note that global industries could do a better job addressing "the chemical constituency" of the world's air and oceans. Musk also spoke to the Belgian press about the VW scandal this week. Asked if people might lose their faith in green technology, Musk said that what the scandal shows is that "we've reached the limit of what's possible with diesel and gasoline. And so, the time, I think, has come to move to a new generation of technology." You can see his comments in the video above, starting at 1:12. Musk made these comments as the automotive industry reacts to news that Volkswagen tried to game the system by manipulating its diesel-powered vehicles to meet worldwide emissions regulations. VW has set aside $7.3 billion to address the issue, and has estimated that at least 11 million vehicles may have been programmed to cheat emissions mandates. As a result of the scandal, VW CEO Martin Winterkorn has stepped down and Porsche chief executive officer Matthias Muller has taken over. For those keeping track, VW sold almost 51,000 diesel vehicles in the US through the first eight months of the year. That is about eight percent less than a year earlier but is probably about three times the number of Tesla Model S electric vehicles Musk sold in the US (we say probably because Tesla discloses neither monthly nor country-specific sales). So, while this may not be a case of diesel envy, Musk did have a pretty wide-open shot to tweak VW and its reliance on diesel technology. News Source: Bloomberg News, EV AnnexImage Credit: AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu Government/Legal Green Tesla Volkswagen Emissions Diesel Vehicles Electric vw diesel scandal