Plug-in hybrids
With the appearance and characteristics of a normal family car, low running costs, as well as low emissions, most buyers of new cars ought to take a good look at a plug-in hybrid. This is an electric car that is loaded up from the electricity grid, but which also has an engine that can charge the batteries, or drive the car. This can be a normal combustion engine or a fuel cell.
This type of hybrid is gearing up to be the favourite solution in the car industry and all the major manufacturers are developing their own models. The first commercial plug-in hybrid to come on the market was the Chevrolet Volt, along with its European sister model, the Opel Ampera. These cars can drive for 60 km before the combustion engine kicks in. These are also relatively large cars, with plenty of room for passengers and luggage.
Plug-in hybrids have two great advantages: they offer a greater range than the electric cars of today and they are far cheaper to operate than the high-pollution cars of today. Calculations made by the manufacturers of the Volt and Ampera show that electricity costs can be as low as a sixth of the petrol costs for an equivalent car (depending on the prices of electricity and gasoline). Even though these cars partly use fossil fuel, they represent a great leap forward in terms of environmentally-friendly technology. As batteries become more efficient and cheaper, electric-powered driving will be a better experience, with improved environmental performance. In the future, cars running on hydrogen and biofuels will largely be hybrids. We believe that this technology will be of lasting value and open the way for the development of even more environmentally-friendly vehicles.