Following the live webinar event mentioned in the previous blog post, are we now able to answer that question? Before looking at how the webinar tackled the question, here is an unambiguous quote on the role of hybrids that appeared in the Sunday Times magazine on 20 October this year:

“Normally, a plug-in hybrid would cause me to fall into a deep sleep. When it comes to cars, this sort of technology is just ridiculous and I’m bored stiff with hearing about all the advantages. There aren’t any” *.

The author? That well-known motoring journalist, farmer and pub-owner, Jeremy Clarkson[1].

For other opinions, back to the webinar. It was hosted by a clearly knowledgeable, experienced automotive journalist, Paul Henderson, who started by outlining four generic types of hybrid vehicles:

• Mild Hybrid
• Full Hybrid
• Plug-in Hybrid Electric
• Battery Electric with Range Extender

An illustration from an ebook previously written for the museum website provides a visual summary of the previous list and highlights major functional blocks.

The webinar host followed this by posing some highly relevant questions to two experts in their field: a senior research scientist from Castrol and the UK CEO of YouGov. A few interesting facts emerged from the ensuing conversation and these are listed below:

• The oil specification for hybrids is challenging. This arises from more stop/start cycles and lower operating temperatures resulting in increased contamination of the lubricant
• The efficiency of the vehicle will depend on the lubricant (viscosity?)
• In 2024 hybrids comprised 35% of new vehicle sales in Europe, 30% in the US and 50% in China
• In terms of consumer perception of hybrids, over 40% of those surveyed would consider a hybrid as their next car
• Over 50% of those surveyed cited environmental benefit as the reason for choosing a hybrid but a significant number are also concerned about the adverse environmental impact of battery production and disposal
• In terms of lifecycle CO₂ emissions, the CO₂ emitted by a hybrid, in Europe with its present power generation grid, will produce lower CO₂ per kilometre driven than an equivalent internal combustion powered car
• Under current government plans, no new hybrid cars will be registered in the UK from 2035
• The reliability of hybrids is less than that of internal combustion powered and battery electric vehicles (as there is more to go wrong)
• From 2026, Formula One cars (which have been hybrids for several years now) will be generating around 50% of their power from the electric motor
• For the next decade, the hybrid vehicle is the optimum choice, balancing the environmental benefits of low tailpipe emissions of CO2 and eliminating range anxiety.

So, there we have it! The webinar certainly confirmed that all hybrids are not the same and, based on the proportion of new car purchases where a hybrid was chosen over battery electric or internal combustion power, hybrids do not appear to be all ‘hype’.

For those who missed the live event, it is now possible to catch up on YouTube:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7–yxwX05vM

[1] In the interests of balance, Jeremy goes on to say that for the truck that he was reviewing, used on his farm, PHEV made a lot of sense.