Today there are many different technology options when buying a new car. Diesel, gasoline, hybrid, mild hybrid, plug-in hybrid or 100% electric, but this is a complication for many users. If you don’t want to get complicated, the best option is a “self-recharging” hybrid! … we’ll explain it to you.
The current environmental policies of the administrations point to land transport as one of the main culprits of pollution and, in particular, to the cars that circulate on the roads around the world. To alleviate it, the European Union has opted for the electric car. A policy that, however, is not exempt from controversy because, in addition, at the same time that electric cars are supported, thermal cars are being audited as the main culprits of the much-touted climate change.
The peak of combustion engines is in the 80s and 90s of the 20th century with the EU as a great promoter of diesel technology for the automotive industry. In such a way that diesel prices and taxes were lower throughout Europe than those of gasoline when the cost of producing it is slightly higher. During those years, they were fighting against the greenhouse effect and the ozone hole, and the CO2 emitted by gasoline engines was to blame for that situation. So, the exaggerated emission of NOx emitted by the diesels of the time did not seem worrying.
Hyundai and Kia have made a great commitment to the electrified car and also to the hybrid.
But, now, the circumstances have changed, the obligation to electrify the car and the premature demonization of diesel makes choosing a type of car increasingly difficult due to the uncertainty that surrounds us today on many fronts.
electric not yet
In this scenario and at first glance it seems that opting for an electric car could be the best solution. But, being practical, and no matter how hard environmental policies try, an electric car today is not the solution for an average driver. At least here in Spain.
For starters, an electrician needs a . In addition, most drivers do not have a garage to install their charging point and, of course, in the streets of our cities there are not enough poles for it.
The “eco” label is one of the keys to the success of hybrid vehicles.
Second is autonomy. It is true that electric cars can travel more and more kilometers on a single charge, but this distance is still much lower than that of a car with a thermal engine. Added to this is another problem, you have to stop to recharge more than once if you venture on a long trip. Yes, it is true that we can do this recharge at a quick point, but if we abuse this solution we will be damaging the car battery.
The third point that obscures the benefits of the electric car has to do with the origin of the electricity with which the batteries are fed. If that origin is not in clean energy -wind, photovoltaic, hydraulic…-, driving an electric car will not be an act of zero emissions as they want us to see. The current energy crisis is forcing us to look back at coal-fired power plants. Once again, reality prevails over good intentions.
Along the same lines, the electric car has another problem with its batteries. Most manufacturers guarantee optimal use for eight years, but what happens after that? If it has to be changed, the price is expensive, more than 50% of the price of the car. And, on the other hand, what is done with the discarded battery? Not yet 100% of its materials are recycled. And to all this is added another additional factor with the limitations in the materials necessary for its production, Lithium, cobalt or nickel, among others.
For all this, at the moment opting for an electric car is not a practical decision and, perhaps, not an act of good harmony with the planet. Not to mention that its price is not at all affordable, at least 30% more expensive than an equivalent with a heat engine.
Renault already manufactures the Captur and Austral in Spain with highly efficient hybrid mechanics.
So, if the versions with a thermal engine have little future and the electric one is still not the optimal solution, what type of car should be opted for at this time?
Non-pluggable technology
Thus, and today, the best option may be a car with non-plug-in hybrid technology. That is, a “self-recharging” hybrid. These versions have an eco label, which means that they can drive and park -at a discount- in the center of cities. A hybrid is a saving vehicle –its consumption can be two or three liters below that of a similar conventional one- and, furthermore, you don’t have to plug it in. It is equipped with a gasoline engine -it can also be diesel- and an electric one, along with a battery that recharges itself when driving.
These benefits are not used, however, for a plug-in hybrid. Because? Because for these to be as efficient as advertised, they must always carry their battery charged, since it is the only way that the electric motor can move the car on its own and assist the combustion engine to reduce its dependence.
But if this is not the case, if we let the battery run out and the car drives powered only by the gasoline engine, consumption and emissions will skyrocket. The reason is that a plug-in hybrid is a heavier car than one with a similar conventional engine. Plug-in hybrids have a zero emission label, which is a very important advantage, but given the ambiguity as real zero emission cars, the DGT is considering lowering this label.
Thermal motors
For the ‘rebels’ who are still thinking about a gasoline or diesel car, they have to take two facts into account. On the one hand, that the new models with thermal engines have significantly lowered their polluting emissions -the manufacturers have worked hard on it-. It could be said that a state-of-the-art diesel pollutes 70% less than one that is 20 years old. Or that NOx emissions, undoubtedly the most dangerous in a diesel vehicle, in a modern car with Adblue, are reduced to figures similar to those of a gasoline. And with CO2 emissions below those of gasoline cars.
But, that wayward driver will also have to know that because of the new environmental policies, the market value of the car with these technologies plummets from day one. Of course, the way things are, the tables could be turned around before that.
Another intermediate option to drive an efficient car is to opt for a mild hybrid or mild hybridization. This type of car has an eco label and has a second battery –usually 48 volts- that minimizes dependence on the combustion engine at certain times while driving. This saves some fuel and emissions. But in any case, the reduction is much less than that provided by a non-plug-in hybrid.
Better option
In summary, the decision of which car to buy is very complicated and depends a lot on the driver’s situation, his travels, if he has his own garage space. But except for extreme cases or very specific circumstances, the most reasonable option at the moment is to buy a hybrid car.
The best proof is that , is the market leader, followed by Kia and Hyundai, also specialists in hybridization. And brands that do not have a good hybrid offer are suffering and will suffer even more in the coming months in the market.
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