5 Finalists for the Green Vision Award Announced - all are electrics

In brief: The five finalists for the Green Car Vision Award have been announced, the winner of which will be chosen at the upcoming Washington D.C. Auto Show. All five finalists are electric drivetrains.

The word

The companion award to the Green Car of the Year Award given out by the Green Car Journal every year, this award focuses on future technologies that have been demonstrated and are judged to be breakthrough technologies for future vehicles.

Of the five vehicles chosen, only one is not from a major manufacturer, but all are electrically driven.

The Coda Sedan from Coda Automotive is a battery electric, five passenger sedan. The vehicle will be in production next summer.

The Ford Focus BEV is a battery-electric vehicle (BEV) being demonstrated by Ford based on their Focus 5-seater platform. It is planned for production in 2011 as a 2012 model.

The Mercedes-Benz F-Cell demonstration vehicle is a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle based on the Mercedes B-Class compacts. It seats five and will be leased for road testing starting next year.

The Nissan LEAF is a battery-electric 5-seat sedan. It's much-anticipated release is next year and it will be the first BEV from a major manufacturer in recent times.

The Toyota Prius Plug-in (PHEV) is the now-common Prius with the ability to plug into a socket for charging and an all-electric capability for short distances. Toyota has been noticeably conservative with this vehicle, but it has been highly-anticipated regardless.

And so ...

Again, the announcement will be forthcoming at the D.C. Auto Show at the end of January.

Photo credits: Edmunds

This site follows the emergence, application and development of transportation innovation. Reference to manufacturers, makes and models, and other automotive-related businesses are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement by FutureCars.com.