The introduction of hybrid vehicles is fast becoming popular in South Africa, and at the rate at which things are going things will only improve from here going forward.
What is a hybrid car?
The automotive company KIA explains that a hybrid car makes use of more than one source of energy to achieve the required task. This is often a combination of either petrol or diesel with an electric motor. Together these two systems combine to have the car moving.
The benefit of this in a country like South Africa where the price of fuel constantly increases is that you get to save yourself some money because of its fuel efficiency.
“This allows the car to burn less gasoline, achieving better fuel efficiency than a traditional engine that solely uses fuel does. Electric power serves to boost the performance of the engine,” explains KIA.
Furthermore, there is more than one kind of hybrid out on the market.
“Hybrids, except for plug-in hybrids, charge the battery through its internal system, so they do not need recharging. Plug-in hybrids are a halfway house between conventional cars and all-electric vehicles. So, they run on both an electric motor and an internal combustion engine but can charge its battery by ‘plugging in’ to an outside electrical source,” explains the above-mentioned source.
AutoTrader revealed that the sales of these vehicles have grown by 88% in South Africa.
In an interview with CarMag, Barend Smit, Marketing Director of MotorHappy, a supplier of motor management solutions and car insurance options highlighted that these are the pros and cons of having a hybrid vehicle.
Pros:
- Lower Sulphur and nitrogen oxides emission makes it environmentally friendly
- Savings on fuel costs
- Quieter than conventional gasoline-powered cars
- Requires less maintenance due to less wear and tear on the internal combustion engine (ICE)
- No ‘range anxiety’ as in the case of fully electric cars, because your engine powers the hybrid battery
Cons:
- Higher upfront costs, although they are still more affordable than EVs
- Batteries are expensive and require replacement after around 10 years
- Not economical for highway driving because hybrids rely on ICE at faster speeds
- Repair costs for hybrid systems are high
Also see: Here is why your vehicle’s wheel alignment is important
