SECTION HEADER VEHICLES
The big question e
What type of car do I buy next and why? The announcement by Boris Johnson to terminate diesel, petrol and hybrid cars by 2035 was a bold statement, and easy to commit to, if you’re not in office in 15 years from now!
good on paper but at a cost if you are out of charge. The next generation of PHEV should be much better.
The Government has verbally committed to only allowing EV new cars from 2035, including hybrids. Is this commitment realistic or required? CAFÉ regulations are the real driver of the reduction in C02 and N0x not political PR stunts. So rather than be influenced by the politicians looking for headlines, let’s follow the regulations already in place to get us to a clean environment by 2040.
BEV. A pure battery electric vehicle is a very exciting prospect, if your lifestyle will accommodate this solution. The plus point is zero emissions. The potential downfall is forgetting to plug it in overnight to refill the charge but, just like a mobile phone, we will all get used to this. As long as your lifestyle will support a pure electric vehicle, think of the plus points. No more petrol station visits, no inner city fines (these are coming). The opportunity to charge the car when it suits you, and let’s not forget that they are great fun to drive. In most cases they are faster than the equivalent petrol car of today and with a lower centre of gravity, they have great handling and are packed with gadgets. You will soon plan your journey around the range without thinking, it simply becomes a habit. My favourite tech gadget in an EV car so far is the Honda EV with its panoramic dual dashboard screens, which display an aquarium. When you tap the screen the fish chase the pellets and feed, no more boring traffic jams! Or try the Tesla with the whoopee cushion passenger seat.
In 2019 sales of BEV’s (Battery Electric Vehicles) was the best to date at 37,850 cars in the UK which was 1.6% of the 2,311,140 cars sold. Range anxiety is still the biggest hurdle for prospective owners. Let’s break this down and get rid of some myths. The car makers have to achieve an average combined C02 total of 95g/ km C02 in the 2020/21 emissions target. If the manufacturers do not achieve these targets the fines are very sizeable.
The ideal solution is to own a HEV and a BEV! That is until the charging infrastructure improves, which it will, although this will take time. Other challenges include how the charging issue in towns and cities will work where multiple occupancy buildings and parking space for charging points is very limited. Lamp Posts are on the agenda to host electric charging points, it makes total sense as they already have powerful electric cables.
If you are in the market to buy a new car, the technology in the next generation of cars are effective, efficient and, in most cases, tried and tested. The Japanese car makers retailed Hybrid cars over 20 years ago. This means the Hybrid cars of today have got tried and tested technology.
In summary your next new car is going to be fitted with great technology, but make sure you choose the right power solution for you. In the meantime don’t panic over political hot air, it’s the CO2 and NOX the industry is trying to reduce regardless of PR stunts. n
But let’s be pragmatic about it. The motor industry has already all but ceased the manufacture of diesel cars. Pure petrol cars are fast being replaced by hybrid cars and electric cars are now readily available. So Mr Johnson you’re a bit behind the curve! There are 32.5 million cars on UK roads. 14 million diesel, 18 million petrol, 0.5 million hybrid and electric vehicles, with EVs accounting for 155,000 cars on the UK road.
But which technology do you go for? The deciding factor is your lifestyle. How do you use your car? HEV. Hybrid Electric vehicles are Electric cars with battery packs and motors, being charged by a petrol engine up front. The difference is the petrol engine is not working so hard, so the car produces less harmful emissions. And you don’t need to plug it in. These will be the primary type of cars retailed in the next ten years. Lower emissions with great performance they are a win win solution. Distance, as far as your fuel tank will allow. PHEV. To go slightly greener, the plug in hybrid electric vehicle in some cases is the next step in the journey. Be careful to dig into the specifications. Some PHEV are not in pure EV mode for long, and once the EV element is drained, the petrol engines are not very efficient. In summary do your homework. The range is
46 | inbusiness | 2020
DAVID PAVELEY started out as an amateur rally driver before graduating to a professional status. Making his way up to the World Championship he fast became a go-to driver to develop road, race and rally cars for some of the world’s leading car makers. David enjoyed a parallel career in automotive journalism, contributing to Top Gear and Pulling Power, as both a driver and writer. Deciding to hang his helmet up professionally David worked all over the world as the Global Motorsport Director for Sparco, before moving to North Wales to rescue the ailing Honda garage, which is now a thriving business, and which also is a home to Lotus and GroupB Motorsport.
