ON THE face of it, there seems to be only one option if you want to drive with a clear eco-conscience and save money at the same time: buy an electric car.
Electric cars are free of both carbon and noxious emissions at the point of use, and, with the current mix of fossil, wind and hydro electricity being generated in Ireland, even the old line about still needing to get electricity produced by filthy power stations doesn’t hold up.
If we take the Nissan Leaf as being the current cutting edge of electric cars, the figures break down like this: according to Eirgrid, Irish power generation emits an average of 480g of CO2 per kWh (kilowatt hour) of power generated. A Leaf requires 22.1kWh to travel for 160km, on average, which works out at a total equivalent of 66g/km of CO2 per km travelled. Currently, no production petrol, diesel or hybrid car can match that.
As for fuel costs, once again the battery car has the opposition licked. If we take an average price of 18c per kWh under current ESB rates, then to charge the Leaf from a domestic socket for 10,000km will cost about €248. That compares to a 10,000km fuel cost of about €870 for a compact diesel and €1,240 for a compact petrol, with a hybrid roughly splitting the difference.
So there you go. Want to save the planet and your bank account? Go electric.
Except.
Except it’s not, and never can be, that simple. For now, electric cars are expensive (a Ford Focus-sized Leaf will set you back €29,995 to buy new, compared to €21,325 for a 1.6 diesel Focus hatchback) and there are still question marks over their residual values.
Plus, there’s the thorny issue of charging them. If you live and work in the city and never do long journeys, an electric car should work just fine for you. If you need to travel long motorway miles, forget it. The charging network we’ve been promised simply doesn’t exist in any meaningful sense yet, so you either end up stranded or have to stop and beg for use of a socket from a petrol station. For about six hours.
Hybrids, then, should represent the best compromise between the two extremes of internal combustion power and electricity. The Prius, Toyota’s pinnacle of hybrid cars, claims average fuel economy of 3.9 litres per 100km (72mpg) and CO2 emissions of 89g/km. All this in a spacious family-hatchback-sized body, with the promise of Toyota’s legendary reliability. Perfect? Not quite.
The Prius is also expensive – €28,125 – and, while you could go for the newly launched and cheaper Auris Hybrid for €24,000, the problem of claimed and observed fuel economy remains. Toyota can claim 3.9L/100km until it’s blue in the face, but in mixed driving we’ve never managed better than 6.0L/100km in a Prius, making it no cheaper to run, overall, than a diesel.
Plug-in hybrids, where you can charge a compact battery pack from the mains to give you a battery-only range of about 20-30km before the petrol engine kicks in, show more promise.
We’ve tested a prototype plug-in Prius and could reliably get 17km of urban mileage on pure electric power before the engine coughed to life, and a solid average fuel consumption figure of 4.1L/100km (68mpg). But if you thought the Prius was pricey to begin with, wait till you see the sticker on a plug-in. Toyota hasn’t given an official price yet, but it will certainly start at more than €30,000, possibly even more than €40,000.
A range-extender hybrid, whose engine exists solely to keep its batteries topped up on a long journey, seems an even better option, and Opel’s forthcoming Ampera claims startling economy and emissions figures – 40g/km and 178mpg. But once again its economy figures could prove elusive and its high price (in the €40,000 ballpark) seems to be repelling buyers from its US-based cousin, the Chevrolet Volt.
The most promising hybrid option for now appears to be PSA, Peugeot Citroen’s new diesel hybrid, where a conventional diesel engine powers the front wheels and an electric motor powers the rears. Thus equipped, Peugeot’s new 3008 Hybrid 4 and Citroen’s DS5 can give the performance of a 200bhp engine, but with CO2 emissions of 99g/km. Both will be expensive, for now, but as the technology gets cheaper it should trickle down to more affordable models, with the potential for emissions to beat the Prius plug-in.
Until that happens though, it’s back to good old petrol and diesel. While petrol still rules in the smaller car sizes – and with cars like the 89g/km Fiat 500 TwinAir, why wouldn’t it? – the black pump is the best option for family-sized cars.
The likes of the Ford Focus 1.6 TDCI and the Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion probably offer the best of all worlds right now. Priced at about €22,000, they’re both comfortable, spacious, engaging to drive and can offer consistent fuel economy of around 4.5 litres per 100km (61mpg). Both have emissions low enough to dodge any potential changes in the motor tax bands and both have solid residual values.
For now, tradition still rules when the numbers are added up.
Which car is right for me? Motorway user
Sharon Lawless
TV and radio producer
Current fuel type:petrol
Approximate annual mileage:10,000km
Type of mileage: "A bit of everything, but mostly motorway/main road."
Are you happy with the economy you get from your current car?"Yes, for the type of car it is, its no less economical than anything else Ive had. Average 25mpg."
Would you consider a switch to hybrid or electric power to save on fuel?"Hybrid possibly, but it would be a Lexus rather than a Prius, to keep the aul' bit of flash going."
Our recommendation: with frequent long motorway journeys, diesel is best for Sharon. And that’s not the barrier to a bit of flash that it once was.
Which car is right for me? Medium mileage driver
Colin McClelland
Journalist
Current fuel type:Petrol
Approximate annual mileage:"Don't really know, but lots."
Type of mileage:"City and motorway."
Are you happy with the economy you get from your current car?"Honestly? Never thought about it."
Would you consider a switch to hybrid or electric power to save on fuel?"Not really."
Why not?"Couldnt be bothered."
Our recommendation:Colin is quite right not to be bothered: the cost of a change to a new car would outweigh any potential savings.
Which car is right for me? Short-hop urban commuter
Aaron Krawczyk
Technical Office, IT department, Cork Institute of Technology
Current fuel type:Petrol
Approximate annual mileage:10,000km
Type of mileage:"City and motorway."
Are you happy with the economy you get from your current car?"It costs €40 a week, which is half a tank. So yes, but like anyone would like it to cost less."
Would you consider a switch to an electric vehicle?"I might go with hybrid, not electrical – definitely hydrogen."
Why not electric?"Because of the cost, and I dont believe electric cars are the solution."
Our recommendation:Given his driving patterns, we'd recommend a hybrid or small diesel for Aaron.
