[ad_1]
Who bought a Bugatti worth about 4 million euros in San Marino last May? If this is the universal mystery to be solved today, many interesting aspects emerge from the latest statistical bulletin on the evolution of mobility in the Republic. In fact, despite the fact that electric and hybrid cars are gaining ground throughout Europe, for the first time, with the exception of the Far North countries, San Marino motorists bought more fully electric or electric (hybrid or plug-in) cars than cars powered essentially by gasoline.
Already in 2023, the overtaking has taken place (664 hybrid or electric cars registered, 631 petrol cars registered), a situation that seems destined to consolidate in 2024, despite the extreme distrust of electric vehicles among users in Italy and San Marino. Those who have experienced electric and hybrid, petrol and diesel, will feel this distrust, which is driven by the fake news that “floods” social media and by some elements that still really criticize electric traction.
So, browsing any social network, we find ourselves bombarded with stupidity or irrationality. For everyone: “Nothing can keep me away from the allure of a real engine roar!” Remember the happy panda owner, maybe even Diesel…
But, apart from incorrect and widely popular perceptions, what are the advantages and disadvantages of electricity (or electric heat) compared to diesel and gasoline? Diesel or gasoline, despite the constant technological development of electricity and batteries, especially in terms of charging time (there are already electric cars on the market capable of charging 200 kilometers on the highway – and therefore 300 kilometers on ordinary roads – with a stop time of less than 10 minutes), win in practicality: a few seconds at the pump guarantees hundreds of kilometers of autonomy.
In any case, without taking into account the delicate issues of environmental pollution and limitation to highway use, this is the only advantage of the pure thermal, which can also be overcome by purchasing a plug-in (a hybrid with a small rechargeable battery that also guarantees a hundred kilometers of purely electric driving and “turns on” the combustion engine when the battery is exhausted, transforming into a full hybrid).
But some will say that electric cars can catch fire. Of course, this is one of the current risks, but it is common for smartphones, laptops, cordless electric brooms… How many smartphones have caught fire in your life? Moreover, the risk of car fires in thermal cars is statistically much higher (do you know at what pressure the fuel is injected into the engine? Up to 5 bar!)
Management and maintenance costs, ride comfort, livability, driving convenience, performance all mark the “abyss” of electric vehicles. Most importantly, there is less wear and tear on components and degradation of lubricants, given the absence of an internal combustion engine and a gearbox. Try asking Tesla owners if they have ever taken their cars to a mechanic for repairs.
Let’s focus on costs. Let’s do it based on my specific personal experience. So, based on real, concrete and non-theoretical data. I traveled for more than a year renting a plug-in SUV, equipped with a 1,500cc supercharged three-cylinder gasoline engine that guaranteed me more than 80 kilometers in electric mode in optimal conditions. A running SUV, weighing more than two tons, which, in my plan, will be replaced by a fully electric SUV that benefits from very generous Italian incentives.
Not everything went as planned (Italy’s incentives for electric cars ran out in half a day), which forced me to move on to a not-so-new turbodiesel wagon while I wait for them to refinance.
Leaving aside the difference in comfort between the two cars, let’s focus on the management costs, limiting ourselves to “fuel” and examining my use of the car, which is 60/80 km per day. travel, on our roads.
With this plug-in – except for days when the temperature is below 4 degrees Celsius (about two months out of 12 months) – I have been able to avoid turning on the internal combustion engine in exceptional cases, almost like using a fully electric engine. I have never used a charging station, but I connect it to the “plug” when I am at home. The average consumption related to electricity is about 19 kWh per 100 km, which according to the current domestic energy prices in Italy (about 18/20 euro cents per kWh all-inclusive) translates into costs of 3.4 to 4 euros to travel 100 km, which becomes 5 to 6 euros on the coldest days of the year.
Same route, same use, same “driver”, the “diesel” I now use has an average consumption of 7.2 liters per 100 km on our hilly roads, which, at the current best diesel prices in the Republic (1,485 1,335 euros per liter (which becomes 1,335 euros after charging the Smac), sets the cost for 100 km at almost 10 euros, about three times that of a plug-in electric car, whose efficiency (taking into account the weight of the engine and transmission that must “drag”) is much lower than that of a full electric.
So in everyday use, a heavy plug-in SUV versus a supercharged 2,000cc diesel station wagon would save you more than 6 euros per 100 kilometers (4.5 euros on the coldest days) compared to the diesel I use now. 6 euros per 100 kilometers… 60 euros per 1,000 kilometers… 6,000 euros per 100,000 kilometers…
Let’s not forget that in terms of electricity costs, I looked at the tariffs in Italy, which are much higher than those in San Marino, and in terms of diesel, I looked at prices in San Marino, where costs were at their lowest level in months. Moreover, the average fuel consumption of a medium-sized pure electric car on our streets (such as the Tesla Model 3 or the Volkswagen Id.3) is at least 30% lower than that of the plug-in cars examined…
And what about hybrids? Leaving aside the mild hybrids, in which the contribution of the electric motor is almost negligible, the full hybrids find on our roads the ideal terrain for their maximum efficiency and, if driven properly, do not exceed an average consumption of 4 liters per 100 kilometers, compared to 6 or 7 liters for pure thermal.
So, based on what we see, the boom in BEV (full electric), full hybrid and plug-in cars recorded on Titan is understandable. But is one necessarily as good as the other? Absolutely not, each of these car types is an ideal vehicle based on purpose. If pure combustion (perhaps diesel) is still the most rational choice today for those who drive almost mainly on highways or fast flat roads, pure electric is the best choice in all other conditions, including for “skeptics” as a second family car.
In turn, the full hybrid is a valid option for those who do not want to give up thermal energy. For the plug-in, it is a more complicated question, which represents the best car for those who travel less than 80 kilometers a day but do not want to give up thermal practicality when traveling on the highway. On the other hand, the plug-in does not excel in terms of efficiency, since during electric traction it has to “drag” the weight of the engine and transmission, and during hot traction it has to “drag” the weight of the battery and electric motor. , while at the same time a pure internal combustion engine (whether diesel or, worse, gasoline) is still more convenient except for fast roads on highways and plains.
Enrico Lazzari
[ad_2]
Source link
