Shopping for a new car? Stay tuned for Green Vehicle Database

If you’re shopping for the best deals in cars or trucks, you’re probably visiting Kelley Blue Book, Edmunds.com, and Consumer Reports for the latest in reviewer and consumer ratings. You’re most likely looking for the sticker price, miles per gallon, safety ratings, incentives, engine size, interior spacing, and maybe a few other specifications. But what about alternative fuel vehicles?

As I’ve spoken with members of the Green Auto Market stakeholder group during monthly conference calls, the topic usually comes up. What’s a federal or state incentive on a specific alternative fuel vehicle? How does it compare to other hybrids, EVs, etc.? What does the cost of ownership look like?

In July 2014, LeSage Consulting will release its first-ever Green Vehicle Database with specifications, pricing, and incentive data on passenger and commercial vehicle offerings for the 2014 and 2015 model years. Vehicle types will include: Plug-in Electric Vehicles (Battery Electric Vehicles and Plug-in Hybrid/Extended Range Electric Vehicles); Hybrid Vehicles; Natural Gas Vehicles (Compressed Natural Gas Vehicles and Liquefied Natural Gas Vehicles); Propane Autogas Vehicles; Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles; Flex-Fuel Vehicles; and Fuel Efficient & Green Vehicles on clean diesel cars and the most fuel efficient gasoline engine models.

Specifications will include: Make, Model, Model Year, Style, Engine/Motor, Battery Size, Transmission, Suspension, Curb Weight (passenger), GVWR (commercial), MSRP, Conversion Cost, MPG/MPGe; and Federal Tax Incentives and State Incentives. These categories may change as I get more feedback in the weeks ahead from stakeholders experienced in making vehicle acquisitions and analyzing a total cost of ownership forecast model.

There are excellent resources out there that I’ll be accessing including the Clean Cities annual buyer’s guide. In the end, there’s always the automaker websites for specifications and agreed-upon standards such as EPA mileage ratings. The idea behind Green Vehicle Database is that alternative fuel vehicles are becoming a sizable presence in the auto industry; for vehicle buyers such as consumers, fleets, businesses, transportation companies, and government agencies – there’s a growing need for a comprehensive data source for reviewing, analyzing, and comparing the right information for making the best decision.

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