As technology develops, vehicle buyers face more and more questions regarding the choice of car. The rather old problem of choosing "gasoline or diesel" was recently supplemented by the question "ICE or electric motor". And just recently a new dilemma has arisen - an electric car or a plug-in hybrid. Let's consider the main pros and cons of both of these options to make the choice easier for motorists.
Classification and device of hybrids
It should be noted right away that today's plug-in hybrids are significantly different from the first hybrid models, in which the electric drive acted more as an additional option. A modern hybrid car has a sufficiently capacious battery, and the internal combustion engine is used more in situations where it was not possible to charge the battery on time.
So, electric vehicles can be classified as follows.
- HEV (Hybrids Electric Vehicle) - these are the very first hybrids. The battery in them is charged from the energy of the internal combustion engine, therefore the power reserve is very small. The car has two engines - the main (internal combustion engine) and the secondary (electric). The main load here still falls on the internal combustion engine, but due to the possibility of using an electric motor, fuel consumption in such machines is less. At one time, it was a real breakthrough on the way to creating an electric car. But a huge disadvantage of such models is a complex and expensive system to maintain.
- PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle) is the so-called plug-in hybrids or rechargeable hybrids. They are also equipped with an internal combustion engine and an electric motor, just like the HEV. The main difference from a conventional hybrid is the ability to charge the battery from a regular household outlet. Also, the range has increased slightly. Due to the more powerful battery, the PHEV car can travel on electricity from 30 to 80 km. Such a car is ideal for large cities, where a large flow of cars provides a low speed of movement and regular standing in traffic jams.
- REEV (range-extended Electric Vehicle) is also a two-engine vehicle. But for this electric car, the main thing is the electric motor. While the internal combustion engine is assigned a secondary role - to connect in cases where the battery charge is close to zero. But the connection of the internal combustion engine is carried out only to generate energy for the electric motor. Thus, going on a long trip, you do not have to worry about the need to charge the battery - the internal combustion engine will do it. And as usual gas stations can be found in large quantities. The disadvantage of this design, as in previous cases, is the rather high cost of maintenance since both the internal combustion engine and the electric motor are required to be maintained.
- BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle) is the same environmentally friendly transport, an electric vehicle, the only driving force of which is electricity. No internal combustion engine, no replacement of oil, candles, harmful emissions of exhaust gases into the atmosphere, and other mandatory attributes that a gasoline or diesel engine has. However, there are also negative aspects here. First of all - though a decent, but limited power reserve on one charge. Most budget models can run about 130 km without recharging. The second point is a rather limited choice of models. Although at present both of these shortcomings are being actively eliminated - the capacity and power of the batteries, the range of electric cars are constantly increasing.
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- FCEV (Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle) is a new word in the development of environmentally friendly transport. The difference between the FCEV models and a conventional electric motor is the power source. For a conventional electric vehicle, the battery is the source of energy, while for the FCEV it is a fuel cell. This is compressed hydrogen, which is pumped into special cylinders. Accordingly, such a car must be "refueled" not with electricity, but with hydrogen. And at the moment this is a serious problem since the corresponding infrastructure has just begun to develop.
Optimal power reserve of a hybrid car
Perhaps every first PHEV driver will answer "Yes" to the question "would you like to have a larger power reserve on electricity" without hesitation. Today, a small power reserve is a problem no less, and perhaps more, than the question of finding a place to charge a car. After all, in fact, with the maximum path on the "electrician" no more than 80 km, the battery charge can barely be enough to travel from home to work and back. And this is provided that the work is located not very far from home. Unfortunately, no matter how much the car owner saves the charge consumption, it can not fundamentally affect the change in the power reserve.
Therefore, when considering the option of purchasing a plug-in hybrid, first of all, it is worth considering how much distance will need to be covered in a day and whether it is possible to recharge the car during the day (at a gas station on the way to work or home, in a working parking lot, etc.). If your road during the day is more than the range declared by the manufacturer, and there is no way to recharge the battery, you need to take seriously the choice of an electric car. It is worth exploring models with a more capacious battery, taking a closer look at the options for "clean" electric vehicles, or staying on a gasoline car.
Plug-in hybrids vs electric vehicles - advantages and disadvantages
Consider the main advantages of plug-in hybrids over electric vehicles:
- - the possibility of using two engines - electric and internal combustion engines - allows not to depend on the lack of charging and at the same time gives a decent saving in fuel consumption;
- - no critical need to charge the battery - a suburban road with no electric filling stations will not become an insoluble problem, because long distances can be covered on gasoline and not look for a charging outlet somewhere along the way;
- - no movement limit (power reserve) - there is no need to read the remaining power reserve or to urgently charge the car if there is an unplanned trip;
- - availability - the number of hybrid models today significantly exceeds the range of electric cars;
- - the possibility of use all year round (this does not mean that the electric car cannot be operated in winter, however, due to low temperatures, the use of additional winter options - heating of the passenger compartment, glass, mirrors - so a not very large power reserve in winter is further reduced);
- - the knowledge of the technology - hybrids have been actively exploited for more than 20 years, and during this time they have been finalized by manufacturers, well studied by masters at service stations, and by car users themselves
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But it is worth highlighting the undoubted advantage of electric vehicles compared to plug-in hybrids:
- - 100% ecological cleanliness;
- - efficiency;
- - the possibility of charging from a power plant or a home outlet (the use of hydrogen fuel can hardly be called an advantage, given the poor infrastructure development);
- - the volume of maintenance work is significantly less, and the maintenance itself is carried out 2-3 times less often;
- - More economical regenerative braking, providing additional battery recharge;
- - more torque - thanks to the larger battery, more current is supplied to the engine;
- - more free space - modern electric vehicles are designed in such a way that the battery is located under the floor and at the same time they do not have the elements necessary for the operation of the internal combustion engine and transmission;
- - additional financial benefits for Ukrainian car owners: zero customs rates, no VAT on imports, no transport tax (except for premium electric cars).
Cost of cars
Ukraine is trying to stimulate the use of electric vehicles. As mentioned above, such cars have significant financial preferences over hybrids. When importing a hybrid, you will have to pay additional VAT (20%) and import customs duty (8-10%). There is also a decent difference in the excise rate. For an electric car, it is 1 euro per kWh of capacity, while for a hybrid it is 100 euro per unit. As a result, customs clearance of a hybrid car can cost up to 30% of its import value. Thus, with the same import value, a hybrid will have a large (about 30%) increase in value compared to a car with an all-electric drive. A good point for the latter.
What is more profitable to ride
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It is safe to say that maintaining an electric vehicle is more beneficial than maintaining a hybrid. So, the simplicity of the design (transmission, battery, motor) also ensures ease of maintenance. The service interval is every 20-30 thousand km. And the TO itself is just an oil change in the gearbox and the filter in the cabin. The wear of the brake pads is much less due to the peculiarities of the technology and the use of the recuperation system. In terms of safety, the electric vehicle also has the advantage that the battery is located at the bottom for better stability and control of the car.
With the growth of electric cars every year, the infrastructure is also actively developing. Now it is not difficult to find an electric filling station: there are already about 250 of them in Kyiv alone, and more than 1000 in the country as a whole. High-speed charging stations are also appearing, although there are not so many of them yet - only 10-15% of the total.
An increase in the number of electric vehicles and, as a result, an increase in demand for their refueling, maintenance, and other services allows us to actively develop the service sector of electric vehicles, improve and study technologies for their maintenance, and expand the range of spare parts. All this will also have a positive effect on reducing the cost of maintaining cars on electric traction.
What Ukrainian motorists drive
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Very interesting statistics of the number of hybrids and electric vehicles registered in different years in Ukraine.
As of 01.08.2017 - electric vehicles 3,886 units, hybrids 3,605.
As of 01.08.2018 - electric vehicles 7,727 units, hybrids 7,007.
As of 01.08.2019 - electric vehicles 14 754 units, hybrids 13 174.
As of 01.08.2020 - electric vehicles 22 663 units, hybrids 23 218.
The most popular brands of electric vehicles in 2020 are Tesla and Nissan (62% of the total).
The most popular hybrid brand in 2020 is Toyota (44% of total hybrids).