Although batteries have improved significantly in recent years, the cost of making them is the main the reason why hybrids cost thousands of dollars
more than conventional vehicles.
A study in this week's Scientific Reports by researchers at Michigan State University (MSU) and in China add more fuel to the already hot debate about whether electric vehicles are more environmentally
friendly than conventional vehicles by uncovering two hidden benefits.
By 2050, the authors project the manufacturing of hybrid electric and fuel cell vehicles will be
cheaper than conventional vehicles, but battery electric and plug - in electric hybrids will still be more expensive.
Since the electric vehicle requires less
cooling than a conventional vehicle, the designers were able to close off much of the front grille to improve air flow, leaving what is essentially decorative trim in place of the conventional opening.
An investigation by the NHTSA said earlier this month that the Volt and other electric vehicles pose no more risk for a fire
than conventional vehicles do with their large fuel tanks.
California's Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) program requires plug - in electric and fuel cell vehicles — which are
cleaner than conventional vehicles — to account for about 8 percent of California's new vehicle sales by 2025.
... Other fuels, such as corn ethanol [the climate impact of which is unclear], are more
damaging than conventional vehicles when air pollution impacts are considered alone or when air pollution and climate impacts are considered together.
The latest reason, we are told, that hybrids are not the answer is that they are less energy -
efficient than conventional vehicles if you look not just at the period when the hybrid is driven, but at their entire dust - to - dust lifecycle.
Earlier this year, an investment firm found that cost parity between gas & diesel cars and electric vehicles could be reached in 2018, and a recent report from the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) suggests that for many people in the 50 biggest US cities, driving an EV already costs much less
than a conventional vehicle.
Based on fairly optimistic assumptions about technology progress and cost reductions, electric and fuel cell vehicles are expected to cost around USD 6 500 more in 2050
than conventional vehicles.