Chevrolet Volt Declared 2011 World Green Car

Environmental issues along with soaring oil prices have prepared many global car manufacturers to jump on the green car bandwagon, and the latest to join this list is the Chevrolet Volt. The car was recently honored with the 2011 World Green Car Award.

Hosted by the Bridgestone Corporation, a Tokyo based tire and rubber company, and the New York International Auto Show, the World Green Car award was established in 2004 and is part of the international World Car of the Year Awards program.  

In a press release Ryoji Yamada, general manager of Brand Management said, "We are very pleased and honored to sponsor the 2011 World Green Car award. The environment is everyone's responsibility. And throughout our global family of companies, we take this responsibility very seriously. We believe it is our mission to serve society with superior quality... not just with eco-friendly products but also in the way we produce those products and the way in which we support our many communities with environmentally-friendly activities such as wildlife habitats and our Lake Biwa initiative in Japan."

As indicated by the company official, the Chevrolet Volt was chosen from an initial entry list of twelve new vehicles from all over the world, then a short list of ten, and then three finalists: the Chevrolet Volt, the BMW 320d EfficientDynamics Edition and the Nissan Leaf.

"The selection of the Volt as the World Green Car is a further proof point of the fuel efficient technologies that are now being offered by the Chevrolet brand around the world," Rick Schiedt, vice president of Chevrolet Marketing said in a statement.

"This award, and the others that have preceded it, validate the efforts of the development team to build a truly remarkable vehicle with the potential to transform transportation around the globe," Schiedt added.

The World Green Car award is presented to a vehicle which is all-new-- or substantially revised-- in production and introduced for sale or lease to the public in quantities of at least 10 in at least one major market during the period beginning January 1, 2010 and ending May 30th, 2011. Tailpipe emissions, fuel consumption, and use of a major advanced power plant technology aimed specifically at increasing the vehicle's environmental responsibility, are also considered for eligibility.

Three green experts were appointed by the World Car Awards Steering Committee to extensively review all documentation and specs associated with each nominee. The three experts were unanimous in choosing the Volt as a top three finalist. They commented, "The Chevrolet Volt is the first mass-produced series hybrid/extended range electric vehicle. GM developed it from a concept in a remarkably short period of time and brought it to market on schedule and largely meeting its original performance targets. With the ability to drive 25-50 miles on electricity alone it will meet most drivers' commuting needs mostly gasoline and emissions free. After the battery is depleted, the ability to keep driving without having to wait hours for a recharge means that this car can be used anytime, anywhere. America's EPA has rated the Volt's mileage at 93 mpg in EV-mode and at 37 mpg in gasoline mode. It is reported to generate CO2 emissions of 52g/km and can be recharged by plugging into 120-240V outlets."

The three green experts were Phil Berg contributor to GreenFuelsForecast.com, DieselForecast.com HydrogenForecast.com, PopularMechanics.com, AutoWeek, Car and Driver; Dean Slavnich, editor of Engine Technology International and its sister publication, Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology International; and Tadashi Tateuchi, creator and chairman of the Japan Electric Vehicle (EV) Club.