Electric cars and hybrids - What are the pros and cons?
Chris Hogan, 1st February 2018, Household
Hybrid and full electric cars are fast becoming an everyday sight on our roads. If you're in the market for a new car should you be looking at one?
Nissan Leaf
The government stated last summer that it would ban petrol and diesel vehicles from UK roads by 2040. What are the pros and cons of electric and hybrid cars?
Let's take a quick look at the differences - electric first.
An electric car is exactly that - the sole power source is an electric motor. You charge it up at home overnight or at a public charging station. Charging stations are rare but increasing in number and are often installed in supermarkets and public cars parks rather than at filling stations. This means you can charge your car while doing something else so the longer wait becomes less of an issue.
Examples are the Nissan LEAF, VW e-Up, BMW i-3 and all Teslas.
What is a hybrid?
A hybrid car has two power sources, one electric and the other a small petrol or diesel motor. The idea is to allay the main fear about all-electric cars - that you'll be stranded when the batteries run out.
Many hybrids use techniques like regenerative braking to harness power that would otherwise be wasted to charge the batteries.
Plug-ins and conventional hybrids
Conventional hybrids like the Lexus CT200h or Toyota Auris use a combination of an electric motor and a small engine allowing both motors to drive the wheels. This provides the same power as a larger engine but using less fuel. They can't be driven far on the electric motor alone.
Plug-in hybrids like the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and Audi A3 e-tron make more of the electric motor and can be plugged in to charge batteries. The petrol or diesel engine is there as a backup, providing replacement or additional power.
Pros of electric and hybrid cars
The main benefits of these cars are that they are more economical on fossil fuels and pollute the atmosphere less when being used.
They accelerate quickly, smoothly and quietly.
You will pay less in road fund duty and congestion charges - the latter are currently only applied in London but other UK metropolitan areas are looking at them too.
Electric motors best suit city and town driving as they use no power at all when stopped (although many newer cars now have start/stop technology to achieves the same aim).
And the cons ....
Although they pollute less, electric and hybrid cars will increase the drain on the National Grid, which is still largely powered by fossil fuels. There are also concerns that the Grid won't be able to supply all the power needed, although with most charging taking place overnight the National Grid says this won't be as big a problem as first thought.
The cars are more expensive to buy in the first place although grants are available from the government to help out (but check to see if they are still available before buying).
Petrol and diesel engines are more efficient on long motorways journeys and filling up is faster and easier.
The amount of damage done to the environment when making electric components and batteries for cars can be high and there are problems disposing of lithium-ion batteries when they wear out.
Your electricity bill will go up if you are charging overnight although it should cost a lot less than diesel or petrol. You're also at the whim of politicians and utility companies who are certain to increase prices and taxes once electric and hybrid cars become mainstream.
Charging points are still few and far between, although this is changing. Many people can't charge at home either; those with no drive or garage, for example.
What's the verdict?
It very much depends on how and where you drive. If you live in a very densely populated area and make a lot of short trips then an electric car or hybrid should be fine. If you're in London or an area where traffic congestion charges are being considered, then all the better.
If you can park your car overnight in a place where you can run a cable to it, then a plug-in hybrid will work well, even in rural locations. The only real issues arise if you're in a very remote area or do high motorway mileage - a conventional car may be best until there are more charging points and charging times become shorter.
