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The diesel industry has had a rough time of late. With scandals involving top automakers changing their smog output ratings and “clean” diesel not living up to its name, it seems that many people in Europe are turning away from diesel cars altogether. One of the most popular alternatives? Hybrid vehicles.
Hybrid cars are powered by either a combination of a standard gasoline engine and a bank of high-performance batteries and electric motors, or just the batteries and motors. These vehicles have different mode operations depending on your driving requirements. They are incredibly fuel efficient for urban commutes and can be ideal for normal long-distance trips, which explains why hybrid vehicles like the Toyota Prius are so popular with PCO drivers.
Here’s how hybrid cars are shaping the future of transport as we know it:
Once upon a time, diesel cars were considered the most eco-friendly on the market, offering more miles per gallon, better torque, and a higher driver satisfaction rating overall than its non-diesel counterparts. However, hybrid cars are gaining on the fuel efficiency of diesel vehicles for longer journeys and, because hybrid cars use stored electricity, they will lower the car’s overall fuel consumption. When the car is idling, the gasoline engine shuts off, automatically saving fuel. The engine is engaged again when the driver steps on the accelerator.
Compared to regular cars, hybrid cars emit far less gas emissions. Carbon dioxide is the leading component that contributes to the greenhouse effect, one of the factors fuelling climate change that is being felt worldwide. Hybrids like the Toyota Prius, for example, cut greenhouse gas emissions by around half, and may reduce overall emissions by about 90 percent.
Environmentalists in Europe have been fighting for improvements to the deteriorating air quality in many EU countries. Their voices were heard in early 2018 when Germany’s Federal Administrative Court issued a landmark ruling to allow German cities to bar older diesel vehicles from congested downtown streets. This law had already been put to the test in two of Germany’s smoggiest cities, Stuttgart and Düsseldorf.
Could this lead to similar laws in other EU countries? Experts say yes, and many other countries, including the UK, have proposed their own diesel restrictions in their most congested cities. And with nearly 300,000 private hire cars on Britain’s roads, putting the legal priority on more efficient, dynamic cars can help PCO drivers to make sure that they are doing as little damage to the environment as possible. Here at Hirebrid, our whole fleet of rent to buy and PCO cars for hire is Uber-ready, including our Prius, Prius Plus and Auris models.
While automakers and their backers say that diesel-powered cars are here to stay, car buyers aren’t so sure. Today’s diesel car manufacturers have to battle against a lack of consumer trust, particularly in the wake of the VW diesel scandal. And as the price of hybrids comes down in correspondence with improvements to their underlying technology, many new car buyers are turning to hybrids as an alternative. As such, it might be better for manufacturers to focus their energy and resources on hybrid car technology rather than trying to improve diesel car air quality and performance.
The continued global political pressure to reduce the emission of greenhouse gasses has also led to incentives to adopt greener methods of car travel. In the UK, hybrid car owners enjoy significant tax relief saving them money while they help to save the environment.
Overall, hybrid cars provide far greater benefits to regular models in the same weight class. This will make hybrids appeal to more buyers in the future, ensuring they will become a growing segment in the new car industry, particularly for PCO use.
Here at HireBrid, we believe that diesel cars have had their moment in the sun. Hybrid models are clearly more efficient, more dynamic and most importantly better for the environment. Contact us today for more information about our hybrid PCO cars for hire.
