We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the Business Car website. However, if you would like to, you can change your cookies at any time
The start point for the best source of fleet information |
In the last couple of years we've seen notable growth in the number of plug-in hybrids on the road. Plug-in models have become more readily available as the manufacturers introduce them into their product ranges, and they have moved beyond early adoption and into the mainstream.
There are multiple reasons to select a plug-in hybrid car, not least the opportunity to reduce environmental impact through lower CO2 emissions and impressive fuel consumption. With tax directly linked to the claimed emissions, and fuel costs to factor in, there are clear cost benefits too.
The problem is, not everyone uses these vehicles in the way they were intended - most notably by neglecting to charge them. A recent piece of analysis from the Arval Consultancy team showed that not charging the vehicle on a regular basis leads to an average whole life cost increase of 15%.
This will partly be down to the rationale for selecting the car. Those drivers who purely choose a plug-in for the low company car tax may not be interested in efficiency, especially if they receive fuel as part of their benefits package. Others may like the technology, but simply don't have regular access to a charge-point. The problem is that when these vehicles move off electric and purely onto the petrol engine, fuel efficiency plummets.
If drivers are not going to use these vehicles in an efficient way, they may not be making the right choice in selecting them. The real-world performance of a plug-in without any charge is often worse in comparison to a more traditional petrol or diesel variant, especially on longer journeys.
Selecting an ultra-low emission vehicle should be the beginning. The driver then has an important role to utilise it to its fullest in the way that they drive and how regularly they charge it. Drivers that don't shouldn't expect to see the efficiency that they probably anticipated.
Wayne Millward is a fleet consultant at Arval
BusinessCar magazine ©2019
Business Car Magazine © 2020 | Business Car is part of NS Media Group.
