Nominees and votes for CleanTechnica Car of the Year – European Edition

Sign up to receive daily news updates from CleanTechnica via email. Or follow us on Google News!

The American version of voting for the 2024 CleanTechnica Car of the Year award is well underway, and now it’s time to turn our attention to Europe. The rules are the same. The overall goal is to identify the new car model that is most likely to have the greatest net positive impact on the world, especially when it comes to protecting a stable climate for humanity. That might mean outselling a ton of dirty fossil fuel models in a very inefficient vehicle segment, or it might mean selling 10 times that in a smaller, more efficient vehicle segment. Or it could mean significantly influencing the market and catalyzing further change beyond and beyond this model. There could be other net positive effects not mentioned here as well, and it’s all just speculation anyway, because we don’t know what the future holds.

Here are some more details about the criteria before we move on to the 2024 finalists and vote:

The main goal is to choose the vehicle that we believe will have the greatest net positive impact on the world. This could mean the electric vehicle that is expected to have the most sales and thus replace most fossil fuel-powered vehicles, or it could mean that we believe the vehicle is transformative and will impact the auto industry beyond its sales alone. It’s your call to decide which finalist you think will have the biggest impact. This year, since we are now offering region-specific awards, the task is to choose the car that you think will have the most positive impact on the world from within the boundaries of the award region (in other words, if one model is also sold in China while one is not Selling other models, this does not give the model sold in China any advantage in this competition).

Regarding nominees, models must hit the market in the last two quarters of the previous year (2023 in this case) or the first two quarters of the award year (2024 in this case).

Well, who are the finalists?

2024 finals in Europe

Below are short introductions and explanations, with prices and links from UK carmakers’ websites. The range numbers provided are for the lower priced models – the models offer more range at higher prices. You can vote here.

The Volkswagen ID.7 is currently Volkswagen’s flagship electric vehicle. It’s a very compelling electric car with everything great, well, not at a low price, but not at a crazy price. The mid-priced option offers a whopping 436 miles of range at £55,500. The model boasts modern features, starting with massaging seats, tri-zone air conditioning and an augmented reality display. It’s a ‘casual look’, yet futuristic and elegant. It was only 31st in the UK’s best-selling electric car list last month, but it’s a vehicle that leads the way with status, prestige and desirability that encourages the purchase of other electric cars and represents just the overall opening of public awareness to the future of electric cars. . Across Europe, despite its above-average price, the ID.7 was the fifth best-selling electric car.

The BYD Seal is around £6,000 cheaper but offers a similar kind of appeal and quality. It doesn’t have massaging seats, but it does have a better infotainment system, a head-up display, heated leather seats, attractive design and its own branding. BYD sales have not yet taken off in Europe, and probably never will, but BYD is the largest seller of plug-in vehicles globally by a wide margin, so one has to assume that the company will continue to try to make its way into the European market and grow its brand presence there. . Last month, the Seal (RWD) and Seal Excellence (AWD) sold 314 cars in the UK, making it the 38th best-selling electric car in the country. Of course, it should be noted that the European Union has imposed significant tariffs on electric car models produced in China, which will negatively affect their sales in the EU.

The Volvo EX30 is a more mainstream electric model on the market, and also slips into the popular small crossover/SUV segment. It’s already a best-seller in Europe, ranking fourth among pure electric cars in October, one place above the aforementioned Volkswagen ID.7. In the UK, it was the 16th best-selling electric car last month. The EX30 has received positive reviews around the world. The tricky thing here is that the lower-priced version also comes with a very low range for an EV model this decade (still a lot for me, but most people prefer more range), but you can get about 300 miles of range by stepping up to the mid-range model. ​Price: £37,050. (There’s actually no breaking the rule – more range requires more battery cells which cost more money. The ideal trade-off between cost and range varies from person to person.)

The Kia EV9 is a multi-continent finalist this year. The EV9 offers plenty of space, three rows of seating in a 6- or 7-seat configuration, modern technology, adequate range, and everything you could really ask for at not-crazy prices. It’s gotten rave review after rave review, including from Jennifer Sensippa, and has won several awards already. However, due to its relatively high price (and large size), it does not top the sales charts. It was the 72nd best-selling electric car in the UK last month.

vote!

If you haven’t already voted, you can do so here or via the survey embedded below. Make sure to click “Done” when you’re done.

Create your own user survey

Thank you for voting!