Hybrid car [credit: Toyota]

The electric-only motor bandwagon is now rolling in the UK, and already it looks like open season on hybrids.
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Plug-in hybrid cars are not as good for the environment as manufacturers claim because they can’t operate in electric-only mode if it’s cold, the vehicle has been put in cruise control or the electric motors can’t generate enough power.

That’s according to a green transport campaign, which highlighted the limitations of hybrid vehicles as part of a market review, says This is Money website.

Greg Archer from Transport & Environment said one leading carmaker ‘is conning its customers’ with claims of green grandeur.

When ministers announced earlier this year that the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars would not only be fast-tracked by five years to 2035 but also include hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars, there was uproar from the motor industry and some owners.

Hybrids are seen by many as a stepping stone between the switch from cars with internal combustion engines and future vehicles expected to be powered by electricity.

Plenty of brands – especially the likes of Toyota, Lexus and Mitsubishi – have invested millions in the development of these vehicles as a result.

Because these cars can switch between battery electric power and an internal combustion engine, manufacturers claim they will deliver significant emissions and fuel economy improvements over traditional cars.

However, all models have claimed economy figures that, in real world driving, are simply not achievable.

Continued here.

via Tallbloke’s Talkshop

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March 2, 2020 at 12:47PM