Electric and electrified are not the same thing
You have to pay attention to what the automakers are really saying
If you have been hearing about or reading automotive news lately, chances are you’ve concluded that the days of the gasoline and diesel engine are already over. And that you’ll soon have no choice but to buy electric cars. To paraphrase Mark Twain — rumours of the internal combustion engine’s death have been greatly exaggerated.
That said, there is some justification for the belief. Widely-publicized announcements such as Volvo’s summertime statement that all its new vehicles will be electrified from 2019 have helped foster that conclusion.
So has the subsequent plethora of proelectric announcements from both manufacturers and governments. Their timelines vary but all effectively cede the vehicle future to electrification.
As is often the case, however, things aren’t quite that simple. The first point to consider is the difference between “electric” and “electrified” — a key factor overlooked in many news reports and conveniently obfuscated by some of the newsmakers themselves.
As generally accepted within the business, the term “electric vehicle” or “EV” typically applies to a vehicle that is powered only by electricity, all the time.
Usually it’s used in relation to battery electric vehicles (BEVs) although technically it can also encompass fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEVs).
An “electrified vehicle,” however, is one that makes some use of electric power to drive its wheels, some of the time, but also relies on some other power source — typically a gasoline or diesel engine — for at least part of its propulsion. That term encompasses all forms of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), from the mildest to the most exotic, including plug-in hybrids (PHEVs).
Therein lies at least part of the confusion. The Volvo announcement, for example, indicated that all the new models the company introduces from 2019 on will be “electrified.” What that means is, when new models are introduced, they will be either hybrids or EVs.
It does not mean that carry-over nonhybrid models will be dropped, at least not immediately.
Similar announcements from other automakers, with varying implementation dates have followed the same pattern, usually with some more limited commitment to solely electric vehicles.
Volkswagen has pledged to include at least one electrified option (primarily HEV or PHEV) for every one of its vehicles, across all VW Group brands — Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini, Porsche and VW itself — by 2030. And BMW and Mercedes-Benz are following similar paths, with timelines of their own.
A more definitive limit on the future of the internal combustion engine comes in the form of government regulations.
The U.K. has announced plans to limit sales of new gasoline- and diesel-fueled vehicles from 2040, and similar strategies have been put forward by France, Norway and, most recently, China, each with their own deadlines.
There’s also the matter of ever-tightening global fuel-consumption/CO2 regulations in the interim, which virtually mandate widespread adoption of hybrids, if not full EVs, to satisfy them in the near and medium term.
So the decision to pursue various degrees of electrification is not so much a choice as a necessity.
None of which is a bad thing for customers, for increased hybridization will have little effect on the vehicles’ overall design, operation or the way they are used.
U.S. regulations for the period beyond 2021 (and thus Canadian regulations by default) are now under review, with a distinct possibility that they will be relaxed. This move may account for the less strident electrification push by American brands, at least for now.
Still, they’re all moving in that direction and they’ll all get there eventually. They’ll have to, because regulations will require mandated numbers of EVs in several jurisdictions, including California and Quebec. And the Canadian government itself is said to be considering such a requirement.
Going beyond hybrids to full EVs has significant implications, however. Adoption of those vehicles in the numbers proposed by their advocates, including the regulators themselves, remains a significant challenge as both driving range and recharging times and infrastructure remain significant deterrents for many potential buyers.
Based on EV sales to date, there is little indication they are about to be enthusiastically adopted or accepted by mainstream consumers.
The sacrifices they require from what most consumers now consider normal is still perceived to be too great.
An “electrified vehicle” is one that makes some use of electric power to drive its wheels, some of the time, but also relies on some other power source, typically a gasoline or diesel engine, for propulsion