5 Green cars that make a difference to our environment

1. Mahindra Reva e20

Mahindra Reva launched the all-electric e2O car in India in 2013. The car with its tiny upright proportions and funky styling managed to turn a lot of heads. But, what made this car differentiate from the conventional cars was its ability to be eco-friendly. The e2o comes equipped with a 48V Lithium-ion battery which churns out about 26PS of power and 54Nm of torque. The Mahindra e2o sprints from 0-50kmph in about 4.3-seconds before hitting a top-speed of 81kmph. The car takes five hours for a full charge, although Mahindra also offers QuickCharge that helps charge the car in just about an hour. Once fully charged, the e2O covers a distance of 120km, which is sufficient for city travel. The e2O is priced between Rs 4.79 lakh and Rs 5.34 lakh. (Also read: 2014 Mahindra Reva e2o T2: Review)

2. Toyota Camry Hybrid

The Toyota Camry hybrid is a halo product for the environment conscious car buyer. A 2.5-litre petrol engine working in conjunction with an electric motor powers the Camry Hybrid to deliver 202PS of power and 213Nm of torque. The petrol unit churns out 158PS of power while the electric motor dishes out 44PS of power. The car delivers claimed fuel-efficiency figures of 19.6kmpl. The Toyota Camry is priced at Rs 31.9 lakh.

3. Toyota Prius

The Prius is yet another car from the Toyota stable that brags the title of being an environment friendly car. A 1.8-litre four-cylinder inline 2ZR-FXE twin-cam petrol engine runs under the hood of the Prius to churn out 97PS of power and 142Nm of torque. The Prius receives a sealed Nickel-Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) battery which increases the total power output to 134PS. The occupant can choose to drive the vehicle in one of the three modes, namely, EV (Electric Vehicle), Eco, and Power. The car returns  a claimed fuel-efficiency figures of 23.91kmpl and is available in two variants on offer in India - the Z5 and Z6. The Toyota Prius is priced between Rs 38.10 lakh - Rs 39.80 lakh.

4. BMW i8 Hybrid

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The BMW i8 is the first ‘I’ cars from the BMW stable to enter India. The i8 has a high demand across the globe so much that the waiting period runs into several months. The BMW i8 has a plug-in hybrid powertrain that consists of a 1.5-litre TwinPower Turbo three-cylinder engine, an electric motor and a lithium-ion battery pack. This enables the model to have a combined maximum output of 370PS, which allows it to accelerate from 0-100kmph in 4.4 seconds and hit a limited top-speed of 250kmph. The i8 is built largely out of carbon fibre and that means despite a large battery pack and an engine, the car weighs just 1490kg, and it has a very low centre of gravity. The rear wheels of the mid-engined sportscar are driven by a petrol engine and the front is driven by an electric motor. The i8 emits only 59g/km of CO2 according to BMW. The plug-in hybrid has a range of 37km in pure electric mode and can go up to a top-speed of 120kmph before the petrol engine kicks in. The car comes with a price tag of Rs 2.28 crore.

5. Mahindra Halo

Eager in reducing its carbon footprint in India, Mahindra Reva revealed its Halo concept – a small electric sportscar at the 2014 Indian Auto Expo. The car then managed to turn many heads at the venue with its sporty appearance. The Halo sits low, has two doors, two seats, large wheels and an all-electric powertrain. Although, Mahindra did not reveal the engine specifications of the concept, the company claims that the Halo can do the 0-100kmph sprint in just nine seconds and reach a top-speed of 160kmph. We hope this concept makes it to the production line soon.