Big shocker here: Inefficiency is inefficiency, and it doesn’t matter if it comes from a gas or electric powertrain. Big, heavy EVs have proven to be just as wasteful as many of their internal combustion engine counterparts, though they aren’t producing any tailpipe emissions in the process. The GMC Hummer EV SUV ranked high on the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy’s (ACEEE) list of “meanest” vehicles for the environment, placing only slightly better than the gas-powered Mercedes-Benz G 550 SUV.
The ACEEE looks at emissions required to produce a vehicle, as well as the fuel or electricity required to power it. While the Hummer EV doesn’t have fuel costs like other vehicles on the list, its $1,746 annual “fuel” costs didn’t help its cause among gas-guzzling competitors. That said, it’s important to note that it placed ninth on the “meanest” list, making it hardly the worst offender.
On the flip side of that statement, it was the only EV on the meanest list, so that’s something to consider. The plug-in hybrid Toyota Prius Prime SE had a $529 annual fuel cost by comparison, and it costs way less than half the Hummer EV’s MSRP to start.
The Lexus RZ300e EV and Mini Cooper SE EV were second and third behind the Prius Prime on top of the list of greenest vehicles. Interestingly, the ACEEE ranked vehicles that didn’t make the greenest list but showed low environmental impacts. The Honda Accord, Kia Niro Hybrid, and Mitsubishi Mirage made that list, followed by the Lexus ES 300h and Lexus NX 350h.
[Image: GMC]
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