Many of us are thinking more about buying an electric car next time round but right now, it might be a step too far into the unknown.
Will there be enough range for me to get to work? Can I guarantee a charging space once I’m there? What will happen if it runs out of “juice” mid-trip?
Whilst there are some drivers who have already made the leap, the majority of us need more persuading. Which is where hybrids come in. These cars provide an important stepping-stone, combining electric power with a traditional engine. They come in two guises – plug-in hybrids that need a cable and a socket to recharge the electric part, and the ones that don’t need to be plugged in.
Hybrids make up double the number of electric cars on UK roads and you don’t need to be a statistician to work out why – good economy mixed with long-distance reassurance.
I’ve been testing Ford’s latest £37,500 Kuga plug-in hybrid and I really like the fact I can drive up to 30 miles in my local city in electric mode only. And I really, really like the fact that there’s a petrol engine onboard to take me for a few hundred miles without stopping. Plus, being able to refuel it with petrol at a normal petrol station and in the normal five-minute time-slot, is a bonus, too.
The only downside I’ve experienced in the last month is not being able to recharge the electric part of the car – but that’s only because there were no recharging options at a few remote bed and breakfast stop-overs and friends’ flats, and none at various pop-up car parks in event fields. So, lazily, I have relied solely on the car’s petrol engine to propel me on these occasions – and that puts a dent in the fuel efficiency and emissions.
Almost every manufacturer now offers a halfway-house hybrid. Even Bentley’s flagship saloon, the Flying Spur, has just been boosted by a £160,000 Hybrid. It still needs a petrol engine for most of the leg-work though, and this is done by Bentley’s latest-generation V6.
Hybrids the logical step
It then pairs with the electric section of the hybrid package to give as much power as the current V8-powered Flying Spur, but there’s the added benefit of silent, electric-only motoring for 24 miles. That might not seem much but research shows that the majority of hybrid car owners complete journeys of around 30 miles each trip.
It is very much the logical step as we charge towards electric-only new cars by the Government’s 2030 deadline. So could a hybrid be the stepping-stone for you?
Vicki is currently presenting The Car Years on Mondays, ITV4, 8pm. See her also on social media on:
YouTube: The CAR Girl Vicki Butler-Henderson
Twitter: @vb_h
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