Cadillac ELR Wins 2014 Green Technology Award

The Cadillac ELR’s exclusive Regen on Demand technology took home top honors at the 2014 Washington Auto Show last week, winning Green Car Journal’s 2014 Green Car Technology Award.

The Regen on Demand system puts the power in drivers’ hands – literally.

Paddle shifters enable the driver to temporarily regenerate energy and store it as electricity in the battery pack for later use. The feature allows the driver to optimize efficiency and take a more active role in the electric vehicle driving experience.

During regenerative braking, the system converts the vehicle’s momentum to electrical power and stores the energy rather than losing it as heat in the brakes, which is common with conventional vehicles. The Cadillac ELR’s paddle shifters are similar to those found in manual-transmission vehicles, except the ELR’s paddle shifters charge the battery rather than shift gears.

“Cadillac has cleverly evolved a common electric-drive efficiency system into an intriguing feature that adds a new dimension to the driving experience,” said Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of Green Car Journal and CarsOfChange.com.

The ELR is the only electrified luxury coupe. It combines the dramatic design, performance and technology that customers expect from a Cadillac – without range compromises. ELR utilizes extended range electric vehicle technology originally designed for the Chevrolet Volt – extensively re-programmed for higher levels of power and performance – with more than 340 miles of total driving range.

Cadillac began shipping ELRs to dealerships last month.