Driving a car used to be a symbol of freedom and mobility. You can get to anywhere anytime and fast, with the convenience of enjoying your own private space. But with rising fuel prices and worsening traffic, owning a car now feels more like a chore. A full tank is more expensive and it doesn’t last as long as it used to because you spend more time in traffic.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. There are other vehicle options out there that don’t rely on gas as much. Just look around the city and you’ll find more electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid cars than ever before. With these cars, not only will you cut or completely eliminate your fuel costs, you can also help save the environment.
Turning your back on traditional gas engine cars now makes more sense. The question now for most motorists is: which car can save me more money? Hybrid cars or EVs?
Hybrid vs. EV: the tale of the tape
Before we answer that question, we need to first understand the difference between a hybrid and an EV.
Hybrid cars have two major components: a gasoline engine and an electric motor. Both propel the car forward, but the gasoline engine also serves as a charger for the battery that powers the electric motor. When the battery is fully charged, the car can operate on full electric mode.
EVs, on the other hand, operate on full electric mode all the time. Its motor is fully electric, relying on the power stored on its battery, which is larger than those found in hybrid cars. To charge the battery of an EV, you need to plug it to a charging station or even at home using a portable EV charger.
The cost of driving a hybrid car
Driving a hybrid car still means having to gas up every once in a while. But because your gasoline engine gets help from your electric motor, a typical hybrid car can get you more mileage.
Most gasoline-engine cars have an average fuel efficiency of around 8-10 kilometers per liter around the city, which involves a lot of time stuck in traffic. Hybrid cars, on the other hand, have a city fuel efficiency of around 13-16 kms/liter, with some even claiming to go as much as 20 kms/liter.
This means that, with a hybrid car, you can cut your visits to the gasoline station by half, which effectively cuts your gasoline expenses by half as well. That’s a lot of savings!
The cost of driving an EV
With an EV, you’ll never have to gas up! What you need to do instead is charge your vehicle by plugging it to an EV charger. Right now, there only a few EV chargers available in Mindanao, with all of them located in SM Malls in Davao and Cagayan de Oro. The good news is that charging your EV there is completely free!
Of course, not everyone has daily access to these malls. The best way for most Mindanaoans to charge their EVs is to do it at home. You can charge your vehicle faster by installing an EV charger at your home, which will cost you around Php 25,000-Php 75,000, depending on how fast you want your charging to be.
But if you’re not in a rush and are planning on charging your EV overnight then all you need is a portable EV charger that you can plug into a regular grounded outlet. This costs as low as Php 7,500.
Those are just the initial costs. Charging EVs at home will reflect in your bill at around Php 13 per kilowatt hour. Let’s say you need to charge 30 kwh into your EV overnight. That totals Php 390 for enough energy to give you roughly the same mileage as a regular gas-engine car. Imagine that: nearly Php 400 for basically a full tank!
Another cost-saving aspect of owning an EV is lower maintenance cost. Unlike hybrid cars, which still have gasoline engines, EVs don’t require periodic change of oil, filters, fluids, belts, and coolants. Your periodic maintenance service bills will definitely be lower.
Choose your own path to sustainability
Both hybrid cars and EVs present a new, more cost-efficient driving experience. They also offer an opportunity for us to make a tangible contribution in saving the planet by reducing our carbon footprint.
If your want to reduce both your fuel costs and carbon emissions while still feeling the comfort of the familiar, then hybrid cars may be for you. After all, gasoline stations are still more common than EV charging stations, especially in Mindanao.
But if you want to eliminate dependence on both gasoline and convention, then you may want to try EVs. They represent a peek into our future, where driving will once again symbolize freedom and mobility.
