Recommended LEED-Compliant Cars, SUVs, Vans, Pickup Trucks, Station Wagons, and Two Seaters for Smart Cities Based on the Environmental Damage Index (EDX) and Green Score

Abstract

An environment with reduced pollution from road vehicles and decarbonized transportation is one of the dimensions of smart cities. In this regard, new sales of vehicles intended for urban use should be oriented toward cleaner (greener) vehicles with less harmful environmental impacts. In the current study, two environmental rating variables provided by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) for model year 2023 vehicles (U.S. market) in 6 broad classes are employed to identify the best 10 models in each class. These classes are: two seaters (sports cars), cars, SUVs (sport utility vehicles), vans, station wagons (estate cars), and pickups (pickup trucks). The method used in these ratings is based on a combination of emissions life cycle assessment (LCA) and environmental economics. The first ACEEE rating variable is the environmental damage index (EDX), representing an estimated environmental damage cost (in U.S. cents per driving mile). The second ACEEE rating variable is the Green Score, which is a non-dimensional number (0–100 scale) derived from EDX. According to version 4 of the green building certification program LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), green vehicles are defined as those having a Green Score of 45 or higher. In the current study, 85 selected top models were found to have a Green Score range from 41 to 67. Only 55 models of them (64.7% portion) are LEED compliant (classified as green vehicles), and thus are more recommended for use within smart cities than other models.