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Uncovering the world of electric and hybrid cars in Brazil: What you need to know before making your choice
As the popularity of electric cars grows, expectations and doubts about its real advantages and challenges also increase. Although many consider the electric vehicles a promising and ecological alternative, the truth about its use may be quite different from what you might imagine. Learn more about what it's like to have possession, what it's like to operate electric vehicles and learn what it's like to “adopt” an electric car in the current scenario, according to the video on the Atila Lamarino channel.
Expectations vs. Reality
When Chinese electric cars started being announced in 2023, offering well-equipped models for up to R$150.000, many believed that it was the ideal time to acquire an electric car. However, after carrying out research and comparisons, there have been some signs that the experience of driving an electric car in Brazil could be more complicated than you might think, even in cities with better infrastructure, like Sao Paulo.
For example, when searching for used electric cars, vehicles were found with less than 10.000 km driven being sold for up to R$100.000 less than the price of a new one. This suggests that the experience with these vehicles has been so unsatisfactory for some owners who chose to sell them quickly, even assuming a large financial loss.
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Types of electrified cars
Contrary to what many sales websites and automotive magazines suggest, electric and hybrid cars are not the same thing and it is often not appropriate to compare them directly. Hybrid cars, for example, can use an electric motor to assist the combustion engine., but batteries have varying capacities. There are mild hybrids (MHEV), that have small batteries that do not allow driving exclusively in electric mode, offering only an additional boost to the combustion engine. These vehicles may not offer significant fuel savings.
Conventional hybrids (HEV) have batteries that allow driving for a few kilometers in electric mode, although the combustion engine comes into action during more intense accelerations or over long distances. This may result in some fuel savings., but it also has an environmental impact due to the additional weight of the batteries.
Plug-in hybrids (PHEV), on the other hand, have batteries that allow driving for 20 to 100 km in electric mode before the combustion engine is started. They offer the best of both worlds and are ideal for those who drive mainly in the city and want to save fuel. However, this technology has a high cost, both in acquisition and maintenance.
Challenges with 100% electric cars
For purely electric cars, autonomy and recharge time are crucial aspects, but often misunderstood. Although some vehicles offer up to 300 km of autonomy, this ideal range is usually between 20% and 80% of the battery capacity to extend its useful life, reducing the actual autonomy to around 180 km.
Another significant challenge is the charging infrastructure. While charging your car at home can be a practical solution for those who have a charging point, many old buildings do not have this infrastructure. This forces owners to rely on public charging points, which are often low-powered and can take hours to recharge the vehicle.
In Sao Paulo, for example, most chargers available in markets and shopping malls have a power of 7 kW, which can take up to 10 hours for a full charge, depending on the battery capacity. Even if you find a charger available, the wait for a fast-charging point can be long, with queues common during peak times.
Article paid for by traditional car manufacturers who are losing ground to electric cars.
Truth!