Everything you need to know about hybrid cars. What they are, the environmental benefits, and how they combine a significant reduction in running costs.
Imagine running uphill, struggling with an effort that leaves you gasping, greedily filling your lungs with oxygen, stopping frequently to restore your energy and consuming water and food in abundance. Now imagine that, almost magically, an invisible force accompanies your every movement, partly cancels out your weight, makes setting off again effortless and allows you to cover longer distances with fewer stops and a lower need for food. There you have it — you have grasped the essence of hybrid technology. A hybrid car is, in fact, nothing more than a vehicle whose combustion engine — the runner — works in combination with an electric motor — the "friendly force" — which acts as support above all during demanding phases and when pulling away from a standstill.
A hybrid vehicle is fitted with two motors. The first is a traditional internal combustion engine; the second is battery-powered. The resulting system, known as the powertrain, can be configured in series or in parallel. In the first case, the heat engine — fuelled by petrol, diesel or gas — acts solely as a generator, recharging the cells that power the zero-emission unit, which is responsible for propelling the car. This is referred to as a "range-extended" vehicle. In the second case, which is more widespread, the system is bimodal because the combustion engine not only operates to recharge the batteries but also drives the vehicle, alternately or simultaneously with the electric motor. This is the case, for example, with one of the most recent and innovative hybrid saloons, namely Hyundai Ioniq, which is also the first car in the world with a fully green vocation, available in three sustainable configurations: hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric.
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Parallel hybrid technology brings with it significant functional and environmental advantages. When pulling away from a standstill — at a traffic light, for instance — the electric motor moves the car without the combustion engine cutting in. The latter, in fact, remains switched off. This is a solution that makes it possible to reduce both fuel consumption and harmful emissions, while also allowing travel on battery power for certain stretches. And during maximum-load phases, such as when overtaking, the thrust of the electric motor is added to that of the traditional engine, making it possible both to achieve higher performance and to keep fuel consumption in check. All of this without the driver having to do anything special. They simply drive, leaving the car's electronics to manage the optimal combination and alternation of the motors at any given moment. A seamless transition, as in the case of the Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid, equipped with a high thermal-efficiency 1.6 GDI (direct petrol injection) four-cylinder engine specifically developed for hybridisation and paired with a zero-emission permanent-magnet synchronous motor. The result is a powertrain that, despite its modest displacement, delivers a combined output of 141 hp and 265 Nm of torque.
Can the advantages of hybrid technology be quantified? Absolutely. Let us take the Hyundai Ioniq as our reference. It is a five-door saloon approximately four and a half metres long, with excellent interior space and a generous boot — thanks to the positioning of the batteries under the rear seats — with a capacity of between 443 and 1,505 litres. For comparison, a conventional (petrol) car with similar characteristics and around 140 hp covers an average of 16/17 km per litre of fuel, with CO2 emissions in the region of 115/120 grams per kilometre. The Ioniq Hybrid, on the other hand, can boast homologated figures of 29.4 km/l and 79 g/km of CO2 respectively, along with the ability — albeit under favourable driving conditions and over short stretches — to travel in electric mode at up to a maximum speed of 120 km/h. A world of difference.
In summary, the environmental advantages of hybrid technology can be outlined as follows:
Two further characteristics typical of a hybrid car contribute to the advantage in terms of CO2 emissions: weight reduction and refined aerodynamics. The first aspect, of particular importance to the Korean saloon given its generous use of lightweight alloy (aluminium) for components such as the bonnet, tailgate and front suspension, is nothing short of crucial. Remember the opening example of running uphill? Tackling it while overweight, or after losing weight, radically changes the extent of the effort required. No less important, as mentioned, is aerodynamics, so as to reduce air resistance as much as possible and, consequently, engine fuel consumption. In this regard, beyond the shape of the car itself, several clever solutions come into play: Ioniq, for example, benefits from specific appendages that deflect airflows in front of the front wheels, active deflectors (which move according to driving conditions) along the grille, a flat underbody and "closed" wheel designs, all of which maximise aerodynamic efficiency.
Hybrid technology not only benefits the environment by reducing consumption and emissions, but also delivers a tangible driving pleasure. The presence of the electric motor means that a substantial and immediate supply of torque — and therefore thrust — is available even when opting for a combustion engine with a small displacement, resulting in pick-up and acceleration worthy of far more powerful cars. The Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid, for example, sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in 10.8 seconds and reaches a top speed of 185 km/h, aided by a modern 6-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. The latter is a noteworthy technical feature, in that alongside reference-class comfort and gear changes that are as rapid as they are imperceptible, it has the merit of avoiding the "blender" effect often attributed to hybrids fitted with continuously variable transmissions. As for recharging the batteries, opting for "classic" — that is, non-plug-in — models means there is no need whatsoever to draw on the domestic or public electricity network. The cells recharge automatically during low-demand phases of the engine, as well as during deceleration, thanks to regenerative braking. No cables, no plugs, not even a hint of a charging point. Everything happens without any external sources.
Driving pleasure and quality of life: a hybrid car brings both. Imagine waking up in the morning in a hushed environment and, still half asleep, having breakfast on your balcony. Your neighbour gets into the car to go to work and… the characteristic noise of a diesel engine shatters your peace. It's as if you were dealing with a Landini Testa Calda tractor from the 1940s. If your neighbour had a hybrid, none of this would happen, since the car would start in electric mode and pull away in complete silence. In a world where noise pollution is constantly growing, a hybrid car is an island of tranquillity. That tranquillity continues once you're on the move, as hybrid models have access without restrictions – or by paying significantly reduced tolls compared to conventional vehicles – to ZTL zones, and at the same time can increasingly often be parked free of charge in pay-and-display bays. The frantic search for a parking meter? Ancient history.
The hybrid car market is growing steadily, having recorded a year-on-year increase in October of nearly 49 per cent compared to the same period in 2015. This is a fundamental step towards sustainable mobility, given that hybrid technology leads to a significant reduction in CO2 emissions while at the same time making it possible to reduce overall petrol and diesel consumption, cutting off revenue from the fossil fuel extraction and refining industry. A benefit for the environment. A benefit, however, for motorists' wallets too.
Beyond the low fuel consumption — a benefit that is anything but secondary nowadays — an ever-growing number of regions guarantee road tax exemption for an extended period (Veneto, Lazio, Campania and Emilia Romagna for three years, Basilicata and Puglia for five years), while in the remaining parts of Italy the vehicle tax is calculated based on the power output of the combustion engine alone, without taking into account the contribution of the electric motor. Furthermore, some insurance companies offer exclusive discounts, maintenance does not entail any additional costs, and the warranty is every bit as good as that of traditional models, given the high level of reliability that hybrid technology has achieved. Hyundai, for example, offers Ioniq Hybrid a five-year, unlimited-mileage warranty, including roadside assistance and an extensiv