Hybrid vehicles are gaining popularity in India slowly but there is an extremely fast growing market for these models in the developed countries. Toyota Prius Hybrid has always led this segment all over the world and is one model favoured even by Hollywood stars. Next in line is the Honda Civic Hybrid followed by Nissan Leaf. Also, the Chevrolet Volt has made its entry, which, though it has already bagged the 2011 Green Car of the Year award at the LA Auto Show, trails Nissan Leaf in fuel economy.
Amongst the new age vehicles that are fully electric is the upcoming Nissan Leaf which boasts of not having an exhaust pipe either. It has been assigned fuel economy rating of 99 MPG (miles per gallon) by the EPA - Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) which tops Volt’s rating of 93 MPG.
Based on its own measurement criteria, the EPA has determined that the Leaf can travel 73 miles on a full charge. Nissan claims a 100-mile range.
The EPA says the Chevrolet Volt can travel 35 miles in all-electric mode, with a fuel economy rating of 93mpg. Unlike the Leaf, the Volt is equipped with a gasoline engine. When the Volt is running on a combination of electricity and gasoline, its fuel economy rating is 60mpg.
