One step closer to electric dreams

Just a couple of weeks after the lockdown was imposed in Metro Manila, citizens already noticed clearer skies during the day, even seeing the Sierra Madre range behind the city skyline. It again prompted conversations about the amount of pollution the capital is suffering from and how the number of cars moving around contributes a lot to it. 

Now before you go blaming car owners, remember how bad the public transportation is in the city. Buying a car is a big financial burden for some but they still cough it out just to help them go from A to B better and on Sundays, faster. If PUVs aren’t crippled, I’m sure they’d use that and spend their money somewhere else. 

Right now you might be thinking why don’t we just go electric? The Jaguar I-PACE and Porsche Taycan have indeed arrived in Manila, but the majority isn’t ready for them yet. Aside from the needed proprietary infrastructures, their prices (the I-Pace is around P7.8m) mean that only a select few can get them.

The best alternative to that is going hybrid – that is having an electric motor and a conventional motor in the same car. It works by having the electric motor do most of the work and when it’s low on power, or challenged by a situation like uphill driving, the conventional engine kicks in to give it a boost. Depending on the brand, some hybrid cars might have full electric mode so you don’t burn a drop of fuel for your entire trip.

The Toyota Prius was the first hybrid to arrive in the Philippines and remained a lone option for quite a while. It’s currently at P2.34m – a relatively attainable price point, but its price range is already in the SUV category which is why you rarely see a Prius on the road.

How can they be adapted? If more people buy them. Remember features like cruise control, adaptive cruise control, tire pressure monitoring system and auto start-stop all started as premium features in expensive cars. Once they matured and widely adopted, they trickled down into more affordable cars, which is why there’s now a Vios with cruise control. 

The same thing has to happen with hybrids and the way to do that is if other brands start bringing in their hybrid cars locally. This will give more options to those who can afford the cleaner lifestyle and thus, putting more hybrids on the road.

Recently more brands have joined the movement. Naturally, one of them is Lexus – the premium car brand of Toyota – that has a total of five hybrid models in their lineup namely the LS500h (flagship executive sedan), GS450h (executive sedan), CT200H (hatchback), RX 450H (mid-size crossover), NX 300H (compact crossover).

With a lineup that covers different segments and price points, Lexus made sure you’ll find one that fits your needs and budget. It also helps that the CT200H starts at P2.46m, around a hundred bills more than the Prius so if the Toyota Prius isn’t your cup of tea, you can go up the segment without minding a big gap in the price jump.

Volvo, known for their top-notch safety features, was the first premium brand to offer plug-in hybrids locally. Right now they have three in their lineup – the XC60 (mid-size SUV), XC90 (premium mid-size SUV) and the S90 (full-size luxury sedan). 

Volvo will also cover the installment cost of the plug-in charger in your home if you buy one, and will refund the kWh energy consumption for your Volvo hybrid for 12 months upon getting one. A very enticing offer if you ask me. 

If you want something more rugged yet environmentally friendly, you should look at Land Rover. They’re the latest to join the hybrid fray and they immediately put their bet on their popular Range Rover and Ranger Rover Sport models that can run up to 50km on pure electric or 700km on hybrid modes.

Before you buy one though, your home will be evaluated if it can accept their Type 2 Plug. If qualified, you can buy one of the two hybrid boys and they’ll come with a free charger, but installation costs are not included. 

With more options to choose from at varying price points, the market hopes that more people shift to a cleaner lifestyle. Doing so will increase the awareness to put up infrastructures that can charge them, and thus shifting to all electric will be smoother once they become more affordable.

After this recession brought upon by the pandemic is over, I’m sure other premium brands or even the mainstream ones will bring in more hybrid options. Hopefully more people choose green cars so it can trickle down to an affordable level and decrease the pollution in the air. Soon, we don’t need another pandemic just to see the mountains beyond the city.

Header Photo by Zbynek Burival on Unsplash
Sierra Madre overlooking the city photo by Johair Addang