Types of Electric & Hybrid Cars – And Are They Green?

What’s The Difference Between a Hybrid and an Electric Car? And Just How Green Are They, Really?

Electric cars are more efficient than cars using the internal combustion engine. Therefore, they are responsible for less greenhouse gas and other emissions, according to multiple studies. But what about their manufacture? Should you buy electric or hybrid cars – and what’s the difference?

Let’s look first at the different types of greener vehicles, and then the electricity and their manufacture.

The Different Types of Cars

Here’s a quick look at the different types of cars you can buy.

Petrol / Gas or Diesel Cars:-  A traditional internal combustion engine car uses fossil fuel to power its drive chain.

Hybrid Cars:-  A hybrid car has both an internal combustion engine, and a battery. When you brake, and when you drive at higher speeds, you create energy which is stored in a battery. The car will use the battery to power its drive chain at lower speeds, normally in town or city driving. Hybrid cars do not use any electricity. They are more

efficient than a normal car.

Plug-In Hybrid Cars:-   Plug-in hybrid cars also have both an internal combustion engine, and a battery. The difference is that plug-ins can charge the battery from mains electricity. This means that they can travel further (a longer range).Generally, plug-in hybrid cars are about in the middle of efficiency between a petrol / gas car and a battery car.

Electric Cars:-  Pure electric cars have simply a battery to power the drive chain. The battery is charged by electricity.

Range Extender Electric Cars

Some electric cars have ‘range extenders’; backup fossil fuel motors which charge the battery if the car runs low when it’s away from a charging station. It’s still the battery that powers the drive chain.

How Green Are Electric and Hybrid Cars? It Depends On Electricity

An electric car is greener than a normal car in that it doesn’t emit pollutants when you drive it – electric cars are often referred to a “zero emission”. This is GREAT for smog and air pollution, especially in cities.

(However, like normal cars, its manufacture causes emissions, more on that shortly).

But one of the things to consider is the source of electricity used to charge electric and plug-in hybrid cars. If the electricity is generated by coal or other fossil fuels, then it’s less green than a car powered by electricity generated from renewables ((e.g. solar or wind).

Do you know how your electricity is generated? In some countries you may be able to choose green electricity. In other countries you can’t.

Here is a very general breakdown of the main energy sources of some countries:

So, driving an electric car in Norway will be more green and eco-friendly than driving an electric car in Australia.

But overall, electric or hybrid cars use less energy in total than a normal car. So even if a car is fuelled by 100% fossil fuel electricity:-

1. It’s using less energy than a  normal car
2. The emissions are released at the power plant, which is normally away from cities, while normal cars emit on the road, near schools and houses.

So, from a pollution and emissions point of view, electric and hybrid cars are better for the environment.

Finally, let’s look at the impact of manufacturing cars.

What About Manufacture of Electric and Hybrid Cars?

The downside to manufacturing electric cars is of course the battery. Electric cars have higher emissions during manufacture than a normal car.

One study also suggests that the manufacturing load of electric vehicles that are big and heavy (requiring more power to drive and thus a bigger battery) is too great to be classed as  green. It’s difficult to compare over the lifetime of vehicles, as electric cars are relatively new.

So, Should You Buy An Electric or Hybrid Car?

With so many people now living in cities, it makes sense to use public transport whenever possible. Some cities are set up better for this than others.

If you only need a car sometimes, consider renting or car-share programs.

If you need a car full time, then the greenest option is to buy a small, electric car, charge it with electricity from renewables – and share.

Curing our addiction to fossil fuels is the only way we can avoid runaway climate change.

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What do you think? Let me know in the comments below.

Warm regards,

P.S.  Don’t forget to download your free climate change report here!

Related:

• How many will you get right in this climate change QUIZ?
• UK scraps subsidies for hybrids and reduces grants for electric cars.  That’s daft.