The 2014 BMW i3 electric vehicle has made another top ten list. This time, the list was generated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality and is posted on its web site at fueleconomy.gov. The list is called—cutely enough—the Top Ten EPA-Rated Fuel Sippers (2014) and the BMW i3 is number one.
All-electric and plug-in hybrid model year 2014 vehicles were eligible. Contestants were ranked using a combined rating of city and highway mileage or equivalent mileage. The ranking was weighted using 55 percent city driving and 45 percent highway driving. Electric vehicles were measured using a miles per gallon equivalent (MPGe) where 33.7 kW-hours equals one gallon of gasoline. In case of a tie, multiple vehicles can share the same ranking, which is what happened with the pair of smart fortwo entries.
The BMW i3 all-electric version secured the top spot with a combined mileage rating of 124, which came from a city mileage of 137 and a highway mileage of 111. None of the other vehicles that made the top ten surpassed the i3 in either city or highway mileage.
Even though plug-in hybrids were evaluated, only all-electric vehicles had the numbers to make the top ten. As a not totally electric car, the BMW i3 with Range Extender did not make the list.
Here’s how the top ten got to be the top ten:
1. 2014 BMW i3 EV Combined 124 City 137/Highway 111
2. 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV Combined 119 City 128/Highway 109
3. 2014 Honda Fit EV Combined 118 City 132/Highway 105
4. 2014 Fiat 500e Combined 116 City 122/Highway 108
5. 2014 Nissan Leaf Combined 114 City 126/Highway 101
6. 2014 Mitsubishi i-MiEV Combined 112 City 126/Highway 99
7. 2014 smart fortwo cabriolet Combined 107 City 122/Highway 93
7. 2014 smart fortwo coupe EV Combined 107 City 122/Highway 93
8. 2014 Ford Focus Electric Combined 105 City 110/Highway 99
9. 2014 Tesla Model S Combined 95 City 94/Highway 97
(60 kW-hr battery Pack)
To view the EPA Top Ten Fuel Sipper web page, click here: http://fueleconomy.gov/feg/topten.jsp.—Scott Blazey
[Photos courtesy of BMW AG.]
