Buying advice

What Are the Best Eco Cars? Electric vs Hybrid vs Hydrogen

If you’re thinking about driving your own green agenda forward, there’s a lot to consider. Hybrid cars still have their place and electric cars may not be the only future of driving because hydrogen-fuelled transport is also on the rise.

By
19 May 2022

The future of driving is definitely exciting and it’s certainly going to be different to today. But no one can blame you if you’re hesitating about the switch of your wheels. Electric cars are still in their relative infancy. Hybrid cars can’t last forever because they still use fossil fuels to run. And then there’s hydrogen cell technology to get your head around. So what kind of eco cars will win the day?

After looking at the differences between electric cars, hybrid vehicles and hydrogen-powered technology, we’d say the future of eco cars isn’t quite so cut and dried. Each of these kinds of engines has its place in transporting us and the world’s goods from point A to B. If you’re looking for a green vehicle, different factors need to be considered. Let’s take a look.

Eco-friendly cars: the rise (and fall) of hybrid cars

We all know that fossil fuels won’t last forever. Hybrid cars are the first step away from combustion engine vehicles toward green car technology. But it’s only a baby step. Hybrid cars, even plug-in hybrids, rely on petrol or diesel to keep moving.

Hybrid cars have both battery packs and combustion engines, hence their name. The combination serves as some assurance that you won’t get stuck anywhere with a flat battery. The battery element makes for excellent fuel efficiency, but there’s that word again – fuel.

Sure, there’s an electric powertrain that can run up to 40 or so miles, but it still needs you to stop at the petrol pump if you want to go further. In some respects, this is great if you don’t have a home charging point and your nearest one isn’t close enough for comfort. Hybrid cars have some positives over fully electric cars, but they don’t have a place far into the future.

Electric cars

Whisper quiet, regularly touted as the future of motoring and becoming far more common on UK roads with each passing month, electric vehicles are the eco cars rapidly gaining a fan-base. Electric cars do away with internal combustion engines entirely. The technology requires you to regularly charge a battery and some power is harvested from braking. If you drive an electric car well, you’ll get more distance from a full charge.

At present, the longest range you can get in an electric car comes from the Mercedes EQS. This smart SUV can reach 485 miles on a single charge. That’s about half the distance of the UK’s full length. Not bad.

What’s not quite so enticing about these eco cars is the time for ‘re-fuelling’ or rather charging. A rapid charge takes about 30 minutes and generally gives you 60 – 80% of a full charge. Full charging can take anywhere up to 12 hours. No one has that kind of free time on their hands any more.

Hydrogen cars

Less talked about are hydrogen-powered vehicles. This could be because there are only 15 public hydrogen fuel stations in the UK. If you were concerned about range anxiety with an electric vehicle, imagine what hydrogen anxiety might feel like!

Hydrogen-fuel cell technology has seen far lower public acceptance rates than electric cars. Still, there are a number of different manufacturers producing them. Hyundai’s NEXO and Toyota’s Mirai are the two hydrogen-powered available cars in the UK. If you’re interested in becoming a proud owner, check the hydrogen stations in your area first.

According to the numbers, hydrogen-fuelled vehicles can go further than an electric vehicle on an energy density to weight ratio. The maths around hydrogen and electric has electric cars coming out on top for eco cars in terms of energy efficiency.

All that means is it’s more efficient to charge a battery and use its electricity than it is to combine hydrogen with oxygen to create electricity with the bi-product of water (H₂O). On the upside, refuelling with hydrogen is much faster than recharging a battery. A car takes about 3 minutes, it’s 7 minutes for larger vehicles like buses.

Our verdict on eco cars and transport

Hybrid cars are great and a valuable first step toward greener motoring. If you live far from charging stations and can’t have one installed where you live, they’re a good option. They’re kinder to the planet than traditional combustion engines. Sometimes you can do some running around just on the battery. That said, hybrid cars can’t last forever because fossil fuels won’t last forever.

Electric cars are getting better and better with each passing year. They are becoming an exceedingly viable option for people and families living in cities and towns. With access to charging points getting better as more infrastructure is created, these kinds of eco cars definitely have a place in our future.

However, we don’t think electric cars will be the be-all and end-all for greener transport. Why? It’s the charging time, even when this is cut to 30 minutes for an 80% charge, it’s just too long for haulage companies and professional drivers. Individuals and families can easily change their view of longer journeys to incorporate a half-hour pit stop. Commercial businesses are another story.

We think it’s likely that hydrogen-powered vehicles will find their place in eco-friendly transportation. Already shipping, commercial aircraft and long-haul truckers are moving in this direction, and it makes sense for them, too. Petrol and diesel have to go, but the added time and cost of electric powered haulage isn’t going to wash with consumers. Hydrogen-fuel cells may be the answer.

And then, that begs the question, what of the professionals who do a lot of miles for their work? Couriers, bus and taxi drivers and other delivery service people may also benefit more from hydrogen technology than electric cars. Then again, electric car battery range and charging times may get far better. Only time will tell, and we’ll be watching both technologies for eco cars very closely.