Making the Switch to Electric vehicles

With the government driving ahead with plans for all new petrol and diesel cars to no longer be sold by 2030, the demand for hybrid and all electric cars has soared.

In a recent YouGov survey of nearly 500 learner drivers in Britain nearly half of respondents (42%) would prefer their first car to be fully electric or part electric such as a hybrid, after passing their driving test.

More than a quarter of new cars are electrified in some form. Research reveals more electric cars being registered in 2021 than the previous five years combined according to the Society of Motor Manufactures and Traders (SMMT).

As of Spring 2021 there were around 239.000 zero-emission Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) on the UK’s roads with more than 100,000 registered in 2020 alone. There were 259,000 plug-in hybrids registered and 629,000 conventional hybrids.

In February 2022 over 10,000 all electric cars were sold – an huge increase of 197% in comparison to 2021’s figure. To help provide the necessary infrastructure to accommodate the switch to electric vehicles, the government is aiming to reach a target of the installation of 300,000 public electric vehicle charge points to deal with the increased demand.

With so many options available out there to buy new or used, here’s our guide to what’s on offer for drivers looking to switch to electric transport.

So what are the types of electrical vehicles available on the market?

There are three main types of electric vehicles that are on our roads today:

Plug-in hybrids (PHEV) use batteries to power an electric motor and either petrol or diesel fuel to power an engine. The batteries can be charge similarly to BEV – via plug in – but may not feature as large of an electric range for travel dependent on the vehicle.
PHEV are a good stepping-stone on the road to going pure electric. Having the combination of electric power, on full charge these vehicles can allow you to complete daily commutes on batteries, whilst the petrol or diesel engine can assist in travel further afield. These vehicles produce lower CO2 emissions.

Hybrid Electric Vehicles or often known as Hybrids (HEVs) are ‘self-charging vehicles’ as they are often advertised, are powered by electricity and a petrol or diesel engine.
Unlike PHEVs, a hybrid cannot be plugged into the mains as the engine is the main source of power. The battery is smaller on these vehicles but still produce lower amounts of CO2 and use regenerative braking which recharges the batteries.

Battery Electric Vehicles or also known as BEVs are solely powered by batteries as they feature an electric motor. These can be recharged at home using a domestic socket or dedicated home charge point and utilising public charging networks while undertaking longer journeys.
These vehicles don’t have any tailpipes because they are zero emissions vehicles.

At Croyland we offer a variety of hybrid electric high quality used vehicles so you can confidently take your next step to making your motoring electric.
In addition to this Croyland has significantly invested in the installation of a number of electric charge points on site for customers to use.