Detroit’s annual North American International Auto Show (NAIAS or #NAIAS2016) glossed over the coming cataclysmic climate change problem, but did reveal 2016’s best in “green” car technology with an every-growing list of low-to-zero emissions vehicles for #womenintech.
Just as at fall’s LA Auto Show, car companies at NAIAS did not unleash a tidal wave of green cars. Yet there is a noticeable trend towards free charging and adding plug-in vehicles to existing fleets – most especially sedans (such as BMW’s 330e and Audi’s e-tron) as well as a steady trickle of eco-minded concept vehicles in every type from mini minivans to compact CUVs to luxury SUVs.
At NAIAS, the plug-in trend continued (see specific model launches below). However, it was the introduction of the almost unbelievable 200-mile range, all-electric 2017 Chevy Bolt the week before at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES or #CES2016) that was still the on the lips of car folks at NAIAS.
Chevy stunned the media crowd at CES with its bold claim: Our Bolt can go more than twice as much as every production EV out there except Tesla. Wow! Yes, the Bolt (and Chevy’s engineers) really do deserve kudos for doubling the EV mile range on a for-sale-this-fall compact CUV loaded with the latest in-car and safety tech.
2017 Chevy Volt Interior
In addition, the 2016 Chevy Volt took its place at #NAIAS2016 as THE plug-in car of the year. No really. This “new Volt” won the Green Car of the Year Award at the LA Auto Show (just one of this high tech sedan’s many awards). With an updated and more stylish exterior, the 2016 Chevy Volt gets everything else right too. The now five-seat interior is comfortable and loaded with top notch in-car tech. But, most important of all, the 2016 Volt can drive up to 53 miles on electric power alone. A true plug-in, the Volt is also equipped with a 1.5-liter, gas-powered engine. This means The Volt never stops and can serve as a primary car.
Fresh on the heels of announcing its “electrification program” at the LA Auto Show (LAAS), Audi launched a green concept car for NAIAS: the A3 SportBack e-tron plug-in hybrid sedan. The big deal about this beefy sedan is that it runs on fuel cell technology. Audi claims its h-tron quattro’s all-electric drive has two electric motors and can accelerate from 0-60 mph in “under seven seconds.” Running purely on compressed hydrogen, Audi’s new hydro SUV’s tank can be filled in four minutes for another 373 or so miles, so says Audi.
Audi’s A3 SportBack e-tron plug-in hybrid
VW’s BUDD-e mini minivan plug-in concept vehicle was rolled out at CES and then showed up at NAIAS as well. VW calls the design “avant garde.” The wacky-meets-cool exterior aside, VW clims BUDD-e will have a 233-mile estimated range. BUDD-e will also be “completely and thoroughly networked” and is “capable of seamlessly communicating with your smart home or office.” VW says its next gen infotainment tech will create a “fully interactive, intuitive experience” by merging “touch and gesture control.” This means the end to cabin switches and buttons, so says VW, and the beginning of “large infotainment panels and digital screens instead of analog mirrors.” There’s a whole lot more to say about BUDD-e. We just hope VW goes ahead with bringing this cool EV to market in 2019.
VW also announced its all-electric and award-winning e-Golf will be outfitted with next gen technology by the end of the year. Just some of the new tech embedded inside the e-Golf will be VW’s newest “modular infotainment toolkit” upgraded with a 9.2-inch high resolution display, “keyword-activated” voice technology, video streaming and wireless charging plus in-car apps for “smartphone integration platforms such as Android’s Auto, Apple’s CarPlay and VW’s own Car-Net WiFi app.
Hyundai did not have any green car offerings at this year’s Detroit Auto Show (#NAIAS2016), but its award-winning 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid did shine with one more award: the inaugural Good Housekeeping/Car and Driver “best new eco car” of the year. Already available in dealer showrooms, the 2016 Sonata Hybrid is chock full of stylish design inside and out along with a quality build, load of standard near luxury features and advanced technologies.
The award-winning 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
Want to go beyond a hybrid and be a #womeintech driving a fancy new plug-in vehicle? The 2016 Hyundai Sonata Plug-In has all the same award-winning qualities of its gas and hybrid Sonata brethren. However, this luxurious mid-sized sedan goes 27 miles on all-electric power and then quietly switches to a gas engine for hundreds more miles of driving. Perfect for commuters, the new Sonata Plug-In never stops and yet provides an environmental friendliness for those who are ready to go green with their transportation without sacrificing anything.
Ford unveiled a new hybrid and plug-in version of its Ford Fusion mid-sized sedan. The 2017 Ford Fusion Energi, which will be available this summer, is a plug-in hybrid that gets a mere 19 miles on electric power before it goes to gas. While this surely isn’t the 50 miles one could get in a 2016 Chevy Volt, for example, Ford’s Fusion brand does have some really cool advanced tech including Ford’s SYNC 3 infotainment system and hands-free parallel and perpendicular parking.
2017 Ford Fusion
Kia is waiting until the Chicago Auto Show in February to reveal its all-new Kia Niro Hybrid Utility Vehicle (or HUV), but the Korea-and-California-based company did show a few Niro images. Kia says its new “global compact SUV” is both “sleek” and “subtly sculptured.” Certainly, the Niro looks like a racy crossover. Kia says its new “eco-car platform” is all about low emissions, comfort, high tech and a fun drive.
Nissan announced another green trend: free charging. At LAAS, BMW unleashed its free three years of charging program (with the lease of its high-tech wundercar — the 2016 i3 EV). Now 2016 Nissan Leaf buyers can take part in the company’s “no charge to charge” program, which has expanded to New York, Philadelphia and Santa Barbara. Nissan’s Leaf is the best-selling EV in the world today with more than 200,000 cars now on the road. The world loves Leaf because this fast-charging EV goes about 80 miles on one charge and is loaded with tech and is a very affordable $23,00 or so after federal tax credits. For those on the “no charge to charge” plan juste used the Leaf’s “EZ-Charge” app to find eligible complimentary charging stations.
Are you finally ready to ditch the violent petro dollar and drive a plug in or EV? For #womenintech, the choices are getting ever better and this 2016 model year is definitely the best yet.
