Hybrids!

[Phantom]

Hi All

In process of ordering a new car but I've had a demo hybrid for a week on trial. I'm more petrol head than hybrid and this is my first experience of anything green. It's absolutely brilliant and I'm impressed so much I'm going to get one as my daily car plus the tax savings are astronomical.

So my question is when do we get a hybrid van? I think I'd like one next time round.

Thanks

Nick

 

[Farnorthsurfer]

Which Hybrid did you test? Or does it not have the 'right' badge on the front.
Always fancied the Passat Estate GTE but funds didn't stretch to it.

 

[Phantom]

It's a 530e, I have a diesel one atm and this one runs rings around it. Literally

They are dropping off the new 330e tomorrow for a week as I'm deliberating a 3 or a 5 but 100 per cent going hybrid now. Very undecided though on a 5 or the new 3.

Thanks

Nick

 

[Tourershine]

I had a fully electric Renault Zoe for a weekend whist I was away in my Motorhome in Chichester, and the thing was absolutely fantastic. The power delivery was astounding, and the charge never seemed to drop. My wife wants an Electric Mini next. Bring on the Hybrid T6.1 I say, because i'd buy one.

 

[andys]

I've got a 330e coming in November. I've had a hybrid before (albeit not a plug-in), an E300 diesel hybrid, but that was a bit pants as it would cut out of electric once you got above about 20mph and hardly had any range. The economy was nothing special and in fact was beaten by the straight diesel XF I replaced it with.

VW have confirmed there won't be a T6.1 hybrid as the engine bay would need re-engineering, so I would imagine it will be the T7 in about 2022/3 or maybe a bit later. Depends how much ground they lose to the Transit, which is being marketed to death at the moment while Ford have the market to themselves

 

[dubber36]

Apart from tax savings, I can't see there being any savings at the pumps.

Plug in hybrids work for people that do short journeys around town, but for people that do more rural mileage, diesel is still the most economical.

 

[Phantom]

Apart from tax savings, I can't see there being any savings at the pumps.

Plug in hybrids work for people that do short journeys around town, but for people that do more rural mileage, diesel is still the most economical.

So I thought this too, I choose to take company car rather than allowance as do some mileage. But I get taxed BIK, I'll save 4k a year in tax over a diesel and used the 530e for the last week and not charged it. I've done over 600 miles in it and less than 75 pounds in fuel, I've used a lot of fuel as been driving it quite hard and letting it charge itself but if you wanted the savings you could definitely have them. However it's nearly 10k more than a 520d so not all savings! But for me with BIK it works. It's also a surprisingly quick motor 330e even quicker!

 

[andys]

Apart from tax savings, I can't see there being any savings at the pumps.

Plug in hybrids work for people that do short journeys around town, but for people that do more rural mileage, diesel is still the most economical.

We'll see, I live in a rural location and do a 25 mile round trip to work 4 days a week, and a 220 mile return trip 2 days a week. I got 49mpg from my Merc diesel hybrid, 53mpg from the Jag XF after that, and 43mpg from my current car, Volvo V90 Countryman (average 36mpg if I use the T6). I will be plugging it in and expect to be able to do the 4 local trips entirely on electric at less than half the cost, with the other 2 days entirely on petrol, and will be calculating all the figures and working out an equivalent mpg.
But the biggest benefit absolutely is the BIK tax saving as @Phantom mentioned, it's going to be saving me a lot of money just in that alone, and gets even better from the 6th April next year.
And I've ordered it in orange cos I'm so bloody sick of all vehicles, inc my own, being monochrome white/grey/silver/black and want to bring a bit of colour back

 

[ei-aprilia]

Me too, keepin

I had a fully electric Renault Zoe for a weekend whist I was away in my Motorhome in Chichester, and the thing was absolutely fantastic. The power delivery was astounding, and the charge never seemed to drop. My wife wants an Electric Mini next. Bring on the Hybrid T6.1 I say, because i'd buy one.

Me too I'm keeping my T6 until vw bring out the hybrid or full electric proper.

 

[Scruffy]

All of the current hybrids are a tax dodge as admitted a number of times in this thread. A number of my staff colleagues have these cars, and all do big miles and freely admit its all down to the BIK and nothing else. Considering what goes into the batteries of these vehicles, I would wager the are a damn sight worse for the environment than a 60mpg modern diesel. But, hey if it makes you feel a little better about yourself.....

 

[andys]

All of the current hybrids are a tax dodge as admitted a number of times in this thread. A number of my staff colleagues have these cars, and all do big miles and freely admit its all down to the BIK and nothing else. Considering what goes into the batteries of these vehicles, I would wager the are a damn sight worse for the environment than a 60mpg modern diesel. But, hey if it makes you feel a little better about yourself.....

Course they are, it’s certainly the only reason I’m getting one. It doesn’t make me feel any better about myself as I’m not sure even full electric cars are the answer, but it makes me feel a lot better about my bank account.

 

[Shaun Witts]

And of course, once they become popular enough, HMRC will increase the BIK on them until there is little or no difference. So enjoy them while you can.

 

[andys]

And of course, once they become popular enough, HMRC will increase the BIK on them until there is little or no difference. So enjoy them while you can.

Absolutely, the overall tax take has to be the same, whatever future generations are driving

 

[Dannyb6467]

BIK is king......

 

[Oldrat]

Had a Prius for 4 years. It averaged 38 mpg. My wife’s Honda Jazz averaged 58mpg.

OK, mainly motorway journeys but I know, but the car without heavy metals causes far less environmental impact

 

[Ads_Essex]

Are hydrogen vehicles still a thing, or are all manufacturers and buyers solely interested in petrol generator electric-engines? I thought that was going to be the next logical step for fuel.

 

[andys]

Are hydrogen vehicles still a thing, or are all manufacturers and buyers solely interested in petrol generator electric-engines? I thought that was going to be the next logical step for fuel.

I never really got hydrogen vehicles. The concept of zero emission ICEs is great, but how do you produce hydrogen? With electricity. How do you produce electricity? By expending more energy than you’ll get from the hydrogen. Unless someone invents some amazing new process (and genius ideas like that are what it will take to “save the world”), we just wont be able to produce anywhere near enough hydrogen to replace all our oil based fuels.

The last generation demonstrated vociferously against nuclear power and genuinely thought they were saving the world. The irony is that if many more nuclear power stations had been built in the 80s, we could all have been driving around in low/zero emission vehicles and the current generation wouldn’t need to be demonstrating against fossil fuels. So Extinction Rebellion, blame Greenpeace (of which my parents are still members in their 80s).

 

[chriscroft]

I never really got hydrogen vehicles. The concept of zero emission ICEs is great, but how do you produce hydrogen? With electricity. How do you produce electricity? By expending more energy than you’ll get from the hydrogen. Unless someone invents some amazing new process (and genius ideas like that are what it will take to “save the world”), we just wont be able to produce anywhere near enough hydrogen to replace all our oil based fuels.

The last generation demonstrated vociferously against nuclear power and genuinely thought they were saving the world. The irony is that if many more nuclear power stations had been built in the 80s, we could all have been driving around in low/zero emission vehicles and the current generation wouldn’t need to be demonstrating against fossil fuels. So Extinction Rebellion, blame Greenpeace (of which my parents are still members in their 80s).

I honestly think hydrogen fuel cells are the solution, and so do some major car manufactures, BMW;Toyota; Hyundai
The issue with batteries are well known, and one of the largest is the supply or rare earth metals to make them. If Graphene batteries ever offers the solutions it promises, this may well help; but it could be decades away.
The electricity you need to electrolyse hydrogen from sea water is clean and abundant; look at off peak wind power when we create too much green electricity. Nuclear fusion is getting close now,

 

[andys]

It's here!! I feel greener already. It's not been off the drive yet as I've had too much to do but looking forward to seeing what it's like living with a plug-in hybrid, and yes I will be plugging it in whenever/wherever possible

 

[Phantom]

Very very nice, put it in sport boost mode and you will have nearly 300 horses! It's a fantastic car and looking forward to getting mine in January! Enjoy!!!