No worries: Which EV or plug-in hybrid best beats fuel crunch?

Latest data suggests swathes of Australians are actively considering an electric vehicle amid spiralling fuel costs.

According to Carsales data, searches for EVs tripled in March compared to February. CommBank data shows a surge in EV loans over the last month. NRMA Insurance quotes for electric vehicles are also spiking. Retailers around the country paint a similar picture, as do car rental companies.

All of which is playing out strongly in the used car market, which may rapidly accelerate Volvo Cars chief commercial officer Erik Severinson’s prediction that resale values for electric vehicles will soon overtake those of petrol and diesel cars.

Demand for plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) is also high – because most modern PHEVs can easily cover the average daily driving distances in battery mode, and fully recharge in a few hours in the evening or overnight.

When longer distances are required, the combination of battery power and petrol engine means much greater fuel efficiency, potentially thousands of kilometres on a single tank.

For example, among Volvo Cars current PHEV line-up:

● The XC90 plug-in hybrid has an electric range of up to 77km* and a combined fuel consumption of just 1.8l per 100kms.
● The XC60 plug-in hybrid has an electric range of up to 89km* and a combined fuel consumption of just 1.6l per 100kms.
Just like petrol and diesel cars, the maximum distance pure electrics and plug-in hybrids can travel on a single charge is affected by several factors – like driving style, whether the car is fully loaded, if it’s carrying a roof rack etc.

Battery chemistry and efficiency is also affected by temperature: range tends to reduce in very cold weather. However, this is less of an issue in Australia versus the cold Scandinavian winters Volvo EVs are designed to thrive in.

Even accounting for those variables, a maximum range of up to 89 km, using the Volvo XC60 for example, is easily capable of covering the average Australian’s daily drive of 36.4km (according to Australian Bureau of Statistics data). Likewise the Volvo XC90. Both PHEVs require three hours or less to fully recharge at home, ready for the next day.

Meanwhile, Volvo is building a next generation of hybrids designed to deliver more than 200km in battery mode. In other words, these are effectively “electric vehicles with a back-up engine”, according to chief strategy & product officer, Michael Fleiss.

This is due to huge investment in manufacturing and R&D as part of Volvo’s commitment to full electrification of its line-up much earlier than most other major carmakers.

No petrol required

For fully battery electric vehicles, technological advances are making “range anxiety” a legacy issue.

Volvo Cars current BEV line-up provides a single charge maximum range of up to:
● Volvo EX90 – 521km*
● Volvo ES90 – 554km*
● Volvo EX40 – 520km*
● Volvo EX30 – 462km*

Expected on retailer forecourts later this year, the new Volvo EX60 takes range up a notch, with significantly greater range. Volvo CEO Håkan Samuelsson describes it as a “game changer” and believes it will be “the most important car of them all” in terms of Volvo’s EV launches to date.

Simultaneously, Volvo is continuously improving the efficiency of its cars via software updates delivered wirelessly – it’s currently updating 2.5 million cars over the air, and will continue to do so, with four major updates planned each year. Which means that Volvo cars keep getting better over time.

While the global geopolitical outlook remains uncertain, there are ways to mitigate some of the immediate impacts.

See Volvo Car Australia’s range of plug-in hybrid and fully electric vehicles here.

*The figures are preliminary and derive from estimates and calculations performed by Volvo Cars which is not carried out on every individual vehicle sold by Volvo and these outcomes are not guaranteed. The real life driving range and energy consumption under real conditions varies depending on factors including but not limited to driving style, road and traffic conditions, environmental influences, vehicle condition and accessories fitted, which means in the real world the range you experience can differ from that advertised. Advertised figures are meant for comparison purposes. Vehicle certification pending.