Electrified Cars – Part 1: Confusion reigns (February 2020)

Regardless of your view on the various environmental debates involving air pollution and climate change, you are likely to have noticed an increase in the choice of electrified motor cars, since the first hybrid vehicles arrived from their Japanese manufacturers twenty years ago. Today, it is reported that over half of drivers are considering either a hybrid or electric car (https://www.fleetnews.co.uk/news/environment/2019/09/23/majority-of-drivers-would-consider-electric-or-hybrid-vehicle). This may not necessarily be for environmental reasons but to reduce either their motoring costs, or to gain a taxation advantage (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-46152853). 

However, it is probably fair to say (and is the case in the writer’s experience) that many typical private buyers are confused. Not only about whether to select petrol, or diesel but also whether to go petrol hybrid, diesel hybrid and, if so, what type of hybrid? What is the difference between a hybrid and a self-charging hybrid? Or even a Micro Hybrid against a Mild Hybrid? How do Series Hybrids differ from Parallel Hybrids, or a Plug-In Hybrid against a Plug-in Electric Vehicle? After all, not for the first time have car salesmen been pushing technologies about which their knowledge is scant. 

Therefore, we hope to provide clarification in a regular series of blogs. However, as motorcar technology is moving at its fastest rate for many decades, it is possible for this information to age rapidly and so we shall update any new technologies as they appear. 

Posted on March 11th, 2020 by Rob Marshall

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