Car giant Volvo says all it`s cars will be electrical from 2019… but charging them is time consuming, costly and you can`t even go very far
Sun Motors Editor warns it’s too soon to make the stir to electrical cars, which would require Britain to build an extra twenty power stations to run them all
“HURRAH!” says Volvo. “The future is here.”
R.I.P. petrol. R.I.P. diesel. Long live the electrical car. Er, suspend on a minute, Mr Volvosson. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We’re not fairly ready yet.
It said all fresh models from then on would be either one hundred per cent electrified or hybrid, calling it the “historic end” of cars powered only by the internal combustion engine.
But the reality is rather different. Petrol and diesel cars will be the only real choice for millions of Brits for many years yet, for many reasons — but mostly practicality and cost.
If we all switched to electrified cars tomorrow (the Government wants all fresh cars and vans to be zero emission from 2050), Britain would need TWENTY fresh power stations to run them all. London would need two alone.
Who’s going to pay for that? Where are we going to build them? And is that indeed saving Johnny the polar bear?
When the Toyota Prius turned up in 1997, it was heralded as the environment’s knight in shining armour. But it was soon exposed shipping the battery innards, like lithium, from all corners of the world wiped out any carbon saving.
Then there is the cost of mining lithium in the very first place. At the moment there isn’t enough to support the size of growth in electrical vehicles the world’s governments want.
Market experts say an investment of £2billion is needed in Australia and South America if we want an electrical future.
Electrified cars are green once they are on the road and being driven, but the production is a dirty process.
Now, I must say I like electrical cars. They’re swift — truly prompt. You get maximum power instantly. And they are as joy as a fairground dodgem.
I’m driving a 460bhp twin-motor Renault Zoe next week and can’t wait. But right now, electrical cars don’t make much sense for Dave, the IT boy in Leicester.
They are a luxury for posh people who wear elbow patches. For the rest of us, they are only viable as a 2nd family car.
Most will do only eighty to ninety miles on a charge, less in winter with the heating on. And we don’t have the infrastructure yet.
There are just 11,000 public charging points — if they are working — and electrified cars take too long to charge. Four, five, six, seven hours with a home charger.
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They need to be as quick and convenient as packing up a Fiesta. Even using roadside charge points, it takes thirty minutes to charge eighty per cent.
When was the last time it took you half an hour to partly pack your tank?
So let’s recap. The sticking points are charge time, range and cost. In time, all that will switch, of course. Just like how the home PC used to be the size of a greenhouse. Battery range will improve. Charge time will reduce.
Manufacturing costs will reduce. We will even have “charging lanes” that boost the car as you drive. And charging points on lampposts.
But as Dieter Zetsche, the boss of Mercedes, once told me: “The tipping point will not be defined by regulation or incentives.
"The customer doesn’t want to do it for Planet Earth nor because they can’t drive in certain areas, but because it’s the better choice.”
He’s right. It has to be cheaper and lighter than petrol. We like the idea of saving the rainforests until we have to pay for it.
Life has to be the priority. The kids’ school uniforms come very first.
THE OPTIONS
Real-world range, eighty to ninety miles. Charge time thirty minutes for eighty per cent boost at rapid public charger, five hours at home with a wall box.
Advantages: zero emissions, £4,500 Government grant, free road tax.
Choices: Renault Zoe, Nissan Leaf, Hyundai Ioniq, Volkswagen e-up!.
Advantages: low CO2, high mpg, £2,500 Government grant. It can do up to thirty miles on unspoiled electrified before the engine kicks in. No range anxiety. Gives an extra boost when overtaking.
Choices: VW Golf GTE, Audi A3 e-tron, BMW 225xe.
Advantages: no messy cables, low CO2, decent mpg.
For now, hybrids are the stepping stone. That’s a petrol or diesel engine combined with an electrical motor. Then you get the best of both worlds, with the advantage of running on unspoiled electrified at low speeds in stop-start traffic.
You can do up to thirty miles emission-free in ULEZ (ultra low emission zone) cities.
And you won’t run out of juice after eighty miles because the normal engine will kick in and gladfully run for another 400.
But hybrids are still expensive, even with a £2,500 Government subsidy. Especially hybrid Volvos.
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MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER PHEV, £43,555
Despite the hefty price, the UK’s favourite hybrid. An EV Priority Mode can limit how hard the engine cuts in, saving further petrol
The Golf is Europe’s best-selling car – for good reason. The sporty hybrid does 0-62mph in just 7.6 seconds and is large enough for a puny family.
Comes in mild and plug-in hybrid forms or as a total electrified. Drives well, with enough interior space to challenge with the dated-looking Toyota Prius.
Toyota perfected the art of the hybrid with the Prius, the world’s best-selling hybrid. The petite but affordable Yaris can be yours from £129 a month.
A staggeringly good price for such a large car, more than enough room for a family. A smaller battery than a lot of hybrids, so it takes up less space.