Why consider a hybrid car
Hybrid cars are a great option for those who want to switch from a conventional petrol or diesel engine car to a more environmentally friendly option such as an electric or hybrid engine.
There might be some people who are sceptical about electric cars, not because of their ability or functionality, but rather that they are not suited to their needs. Electric cars have a specific range, or distance the car will travel purely on the electric charge, whereas hybrid have a combination of both conventional fuel and a battery.
This means that hybrid vehicles don’t come with what is known as ‘range anxiety’ as there’s always a backup form of power available.
Hybrid vs electric cars
Quite often, the term electric car or electric vehicle will be banded about, but this actually refers to any electrified vehicle, whether pure electric or hybrid.
A hybrid vehicle means there is more than one source of energy, usually electricity combined with a conventional petrol engine.
A pure electric vehicle means that there is only one source of energy, which is electricity that has to be charged using an electric source such as a home charging point or a public rapid charger.
How hybrid technology works
Firstly, it’s important to know that there are different types of hybrid cars, including mild hybrid, plug-in hybrid and self-charging hybrid, but essentially the technology works the same.
A Hybrid car has two propulsion systems – an endothermic engine that is powered by petrol and a high energy efficient electric engine that work together to allow you to complete your journey as efficiently as possible.
Regenerative braking stores the energy produced when the brakes are applied and puts this back into the battery so this can be used to power the car.
Mild Hybrid – this type of Hybrid car is designed to reduce emissions and the amount of fuel used by combining hybrid technology which can be used in combination with a conventional combustion engine, but not standalone.
Full Hybrid – combines engine power with electric energy and has the ability to travel purely on electric energy, however, this is only for short journeys. Longer journeys will require the petrol reserve.
Self-charging Hybrid – utilising a petrol engine, a self-charging hybrid will harvest the energy from braking that would otherwise be lost, to allow you to preserve this energy in the battery. This is also known as regenerative braking.
Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) – a PHEV or Plug-in hybrid works in the same way as a full hybrid, however, the capacity of the battery is larger, so you can travel further on the electric charge.
What range is available on hybrid vehicles
Hybrid vehicles are designed to travel short distances on electric energy before the conventional combustion engine takes over. Plug-in Hybrid cars can travel the longest distance on electric energy alone, for example, the Hyundai IONIQ can achieve 39 miles when full charged. After these initial 39 miles, the energy resource will come from the combustion engine instead.
What cars are available with hybrid technology?
There are several hybrid options across the Hyundai range so speak to BCC Cars in Bury, your local Hyundai dealer to arrange a test drive:
Mild Hybrid
- Hyundai i20
- Hyundai Kona
- Hyundai Tucson
- Hyundai Bayon
Self-Charging Hybrid
- Hyundai Kona
- Hyundai Santa Fe
Plug-in Hybrid
- Hyundai Santa Fe
You can benefit from Hyundai’s comprehensive 5 year unlimited mile warranty when you purchase a hybrid vehicle through BCC Cars.
Get in touch with us here in Bury, Greater Manchester and we would be happy to answer any questions you may have or to arrange a test drive for you