Going green: pros and cons of hybrid and electric vehicles

Thinking about buying an electric or hybrid vehicle? You’re not alone. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), by 2030, there will be 125 million electric cars on the road. Here’s what you need to know about these eco-friendly vehicles.

Electric vehicles
An electric vehicle, or EV, runs purely on electric power and owning one comes with a number of advantages. EVs are:

• Environmentally friendly—they emit no exhaust
• Inexpensive to fuel (between 10 and 20 times less than diesel or petrol cars)
• Quiet and smooth to operate
• Powerful at low speeds
• Convenient to own as they can be charged at home

The main drawback to EVs is the time it takes to charge them. Plugged in to a slow wall plug charger (the most common type of at-home charging point), the average EV will take between six and 12 hours to fully charge. DC fast chargers, on the other hand, typically add 50 to 90 miles in 30 minutes. However, charging time varies considerably depending on battery size, the speed of the charging point and the EV model.

Hybrid cars
Hybrid cars use both electricity and gasoline as fuel. Typically, a hybrid vehicle can charge its own batteries with its gas engine. Sometimes this is the engine’s sole function—to recharge the batteries powering the electric motor. In other hybrid types, the gas engine takes precedence and the electric motor adds a degree of electric drive.

Some hybrids are known as “plug-in” hybrids. These can be plugged in to the national grid like an EV, enabling an electric-only range (usually between 20 and 40 miles).

The main advantage to hybrid cars is that they reduce the amount of liquid fuel you use, thereby constituting a more environmentally friendly solution than purely diesel or gas cars. Plus, you don’t have the drawback of the long charging times characteristic of EVs. That said, they aren’t as green as EVs.

In sum, while each has their pros and cons, EVs and hybrids are both great options for environmentally conscious and thrifty drivers.