The EU has been determined to make the leap to the electric car: ten advantages of staying in a plug-in hybrid

Europe is fully determined to jump into the electric car. The best example is the ban on selling vehicles with combustion engines from 2035, with exceptions that are yet to be determined. A path that will begin much earlier, with the future Euro 7 regulations and its drastic limitation on polluting emissions, which will imply a mandatory electrification of the market.

The problem is that in this race to popularize the electric car, it seems that we want to run before walking. At the moment, electric cars are expensive vehicles and the need for huge amounts of lithium does not seem to play in favor of making them cheaper. Added to this is the poor charging network on the road. Spain has a serious problem here in the expansion of this technology. In fact, Europe has gotten down to work to prevent this type of situation from taking hold in the different countries of the continent.

It is logical, therefore, that doubts assail the buyer of a new car. Staying in the combustion seems to be tied to the past. Perhaps the time has not come to bet on the electric car, a technology that undoubtedly has a long way to develop and improve in the coming years. But if we want to enjoy the advantages of the electric car without giving up those of the combustion vehicle, a plug-in hybrid appears as the perfect option.

The 10 advantages of a plug-in hybrid

We are living a turning point in the automobile industry, leaving combustion engines behind and betting heavily on electrification. However, if we want a car with which to get around for little money and travel regularly with ease, the plug-in hybrid has a series of advantages that we are going to explain.

Zero emissions Sticker

Buying a car is already synonymous with looking at which DGT environmental sticker we will have to wear on the windshield in the coming years. This is especially important if we take into account that, as we explain below, they are decisive when it comes to establishing which restrictions will affect us if anti-pollution protocols are activated or in the Low Emission Zones (ZBE).

In the case of a plug-in hybrid, these vehicles usually receive the Zero Emissions environmental label. This distinction is received by all those vehicles whose batteries allow them to travel more than 40 kilometers in exclusively electric mode. In addition, it must be taken into account that in countries like Germany, purchase aid is more restrictive, so this figure tends to increase in order to be competitive in that market.

A battery to consider

What differentiates a plug-in hybrid from a self-recharging battery or an electric? Broadly speaking, the size of your battery. When we talk about a hybrid, we refer to a car that can move on gasoline, in exclusively electric mode or with both engines working jointly to achieve the best performance.

Hybrids rely on electric motors to deliver more power on time or move without spending any gasoline. With a self-recharging hybrid, the battery is filled by taking advantage of the energy released during the braking of the vehicle. This stored electrical energy is used to circulate “under sail” or in short sections of driving, eliminating the most inefficient phases of combustion engines.

The advantage of a plug-in hybrid is that its battery is not as large as that of an electric car, but it does exceed 10 kWh as a minimum of storage. This allows PHEVs to exceed, at a minimum, the 40 kilometers in exclusively electric mode required by the DGT. However, these figures have grown in recent years and some models even come close (and even exceed) to the hundred kilometers available without expelling polluting emissions.

LEZs: the year of change

2023 will be the year of change in all cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants In our country. As stated in the Climate Change and Energy Transition Law, all these cities (and those with more than 20,000 inhabitants and unfavorable environmental reports) will have to design Low Emission Zones (ZBE) with the aim of improving their air quality.

The design of these LEZs is in the hands of the municipalities that can apply any type of measure in order to achieve the objective, which does not mean that vehicles such as the B label have to be excluded as a rule. Nor that cars without a sticker cannot circulate, as in Madrid and Barcelona.

However, other consistories (as is proposed in the Madrid town of fuenlabrada) already consider that there are spaces where they can only circulate vehicles with the Zero Emissions label, precisely the one shown by these plug-in hybrids.

Now hybrid, now electric

As we said, when a plug-in hybrid does not circulate in all-electric mode, it does it like a traditional or self-recharging battery hybrid. In other words, it only relies on the battery in acceleration phases, in which the combustion engine is less efficient or for short periods of time.

What sense does this have? Well, saving electricity in the battery might make a lot of sense. As we said, some cities are studying the possibility of forcing zero-emission vehicles to circulate on some of their streets. But, there is more, it has already been suggested that this can only be done in exclusively electric mode.

In fact, cities like Madrid have already tried what are called “pollution radars”. They are cameras that detect if a car is being used with its combustion engine or in exclusively electric mode. In addition, models such as the Kia Niro PHEV can prioritize the use of the battery to circulate in urban environments. Thus, when a route is indicated in the navigator, they automatically activate and deactivate this mode.

It is not surprising that, little by little, spaces are imposed where you can only circulate in exclusively electric mode. It is a debate that has already been put on the table related to LEZs but also to implement them in the environments of particularly sensitive places, such as schools or hospitals.

Very low cost per kilometer

Using a plug-in hybrid is synonymous with consuming less gasoline in any condition. First of all, it must be taken into account that it is an ideal vehicle for those who do a number of kilometers close to the electric autonomy of your vehicle. That is to say, if on a day-to-day basis we cover most of our route in exclusively electric mode, savings are guaranteed.

Plug-in hybrids generally use slow charging sockets. This is not a problem in this type of car, since the battery is not as big as an electric one. This allows having all its electrical capacities available in about five or six hours (at most) with a 2.3 kW household plug.

The cost of recharging with a domestic plug is very low, much more at night. This means that, with a contracted rate of 0.20 kWh of consumption, fully recharging the battery of a plug-in hybrid reaches 2.50 euro if we talk about vehicles with 15 kWh batteries. This can travel between 60 and 70 kilometers in electric mode. Thus, the buyer of this type of car will spend about 3.50 euros per 100 kilometers.

It must be taken into account that gasoline and diesel have reached around two euros for each liter of fuel. If these prices are maintained, a vehicle that consumes 6 liters/100 kilometers will be spending between 10 and 12 euros. The savings in this case are considerable on a day-to-day basis.

Free recharges at slow charging points

These data are taking into account figures for domestic recharges. But the plug-in hybrid has another point in its favor: the free refills. Some town halls, restaurants or shopping centers, among other spaces, have free charging points.

The main problem here for electric vehicles is that these charging points are often very limited in charging time or power, so filling up their large batteries for free is doable but much more expensive.

A plug-in hybrid can make more efficient use of these points, because as we have seen, in the worst case, a 2.3 W plug will allow you to recharge between 20 and 25% of the battery. As soon as the power offered is greater, the charging time will be reduced drastically and the volume of electrical energy accumulated in that time will skyrocket, so filling the batteries for free is a value to take into account.

Less gasoline, yes or yes

Whether we plug our vehicle into a domestic outlet or to a public charging point, the fuel economy with a plug-in hybrid it goes without saying. But, in addition, if we do not take advantage of this capacity, the cost of gasoline will also be less than with a combustion vehicle.

And it is that, as we said, when a plug-in hybrid works without electric mode, it becomes a self-recharging or traditional battery hybrid. This will allow you to save a few tenths of fuel on the open road, with sailing, but the savings will be much more evident in the urban environment or in traffic jams, where it will pull the battery in starts, eliminating the most inefficient part of the block. of gas.

The comfort of the electric motor

It’s something that stands out in electric vehicles and is often overlooked when it comes to plug-in hybrids. Users of zero emission cars tend to highlight one advantage above all when driving: the ride comfort.

When the vehicle moves solely with the electric motor, vibrations are reduced to a minimum and the sound of the combustion engine is eliminated. A discomfort that is not evident until we put it aside. In fact, in my own experience, when someone who has never been in one before gets into an electric car with me, the first thing that stands out is how quiet these types of cars are.

Aid from the Moves III Plan

Another advantage that we should not overlook. The purchase of Zero emission vehicles is subsidized in Spain with the Moves III Plan and, of course, plug-in hybrid vehicles are included in it. It must be taken into account, of course, that only those cars whose retail price is less than 45,000 euros (without VAT) are eligible for this aid.

The helpIn any case, they are the following:

• PHEV with between 30 and 90 kilometers of electric autonomy: 2,500 euros without scrap and 5,000 euros with the scrap of an old vehicle.
• PHEV with more than 90 kilometers of electric autonomy: 4,500 euros without scrapping and 7,000 euros if an old vehicle is scrapped.

The best of both worlds

In short, the plug-in hybrid is a dream car for those who drive dozens of kilometers daily (especially if it falls within the range of their battery) but want a car with which they can ignore the problems of electric vehicles.

In case you want to go on a trip, with a plug-in hybrid it is not necessary to plan where to charge the car or confirm at the destination if we will have a charging point available. In that sense, a plug-in hybrid brings great freedom to its buyers.

But, in addition, in the city it continues to enjoy all the advantages of the electric car. Their day-to-day savings It is evident (and on a trip we continue to enjoy a hybrid when the electric battery runs out) and it provides the driving comfort of the electric ones. In addition, it guarantees to get rid of the vast majority of restrictions on movement and, when the day comes, it could circulate in exclusively electric mode in those areas where it was essential.