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We offer 4 types of Electric vehicles and their level of electrification varies.

If you’re new to Electric or Hybrid vehicles, you can relax in the knowledge that when it comes to electrification Hawkins are your local experts, we’ve been selling Electric & Hybrid vehicles since 2012 and the largest range of Electrified cars & vans in Cornwall.  Here’s our short guide to the types we offer.

Full Electric or Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV)

Electrical energy is stored in a large battery which drives a powerful electric motor or motors. To charge it simply plug it into a home/work charge point or a public charger when you’re out and about and the vehicle will take care of the rest. The vehicle then drives on battery power alone, there is no need to add petrol or diesel. It can even add charge to the battery while you are driving by recovering energy that would normally be lost when braking for example.

  • Cheaper to run - Electricity is cheaper than petrol or diesel, so your journey may well cost a lot less than it would in a petrol/diesel vehicle. For example if you fully charged at home on a EV specific tariff a 250 mile range could be as little as £5.80 (MG 5 61.1 kWh Long Range using E.ON Next Drive overnight 9.6p kWh, price correct as of 11.8.23 see eonnext.com)
  • Zero Emissions - There are no exhaust emissions improving air quality.
  • Charge at home or work - Just plug in when you get to work or at home, and your car takes care of the rest! Imagine waking up every day with a 'full tank’.
  • Relaxing drive - Electric vehicles are incredibly quiet inside, making for a relaxing atmosphere. Driving is easy as electric motors produce maximum torque at all revs, so acceleration is instant.

Plug-In Hybrid or (PHEV)

They have a conventional petrol engine combined with an electric motor and a battery. In a PHEV the battery is much larger than in a Self-Charging Hybrid. This means the car is able to travel typically up to around 30 to 37 miles on battery power alone (depending on model).  This is generally more than typical UK daily commute.  If you need to make a longer journey the electric motor and petrol engine work intelligently together as required.

The battery can be charged whilst driving but for the full benefit, you will need to plug in. Charging a PHEV typically takes a couple of hours. So you can enjoy miles of low-cost, all-electric driving while still having a petrol engine for those longer distance trips!

Flexibility - If you aren’t quite ready to go Full Electric, a PHEV is the perfect compromise. You can get around 30+ miles of electric driving, which should be more than enough for most journeys, but have the petrol engine to fall back on if you’re planning a longer trip.

  • Zero emissions driving – If most of your driving will be on battery power, which is particularly helpful for improving air quality.
  • Cheaper to run - Electricity is much cheaper than petrol or diesel, so when running on battery power, your journey may cost less than a third of what it would in a combustion-engine vehicle. 
  • Charge at home or work - Just plug in when you get to work or at home, and your vehicle takes care of the rest! Imagine waking up every day with a 'full tank’.
  • Relaxing drive - Electric cars are incredibly quiet inside, making for a relaxing atmosphere. Driving is easy, too, because electric motors produce maximum torque at all revs, so acceleration is instant.

Self Charging Hybrid or (Hybrid)

They work like a conventional petrol vehicle and there is no need to plug in, just fill up with petrol at the pumps, and off you go!  So what does Hybrid mean? It’s pretty simple, along with a petrol engine Hybrids also have an electric motor that is powered by a small battery. The aim of the electric motor is to assist the engine and occasionally drive very short distances on battery power alone, as opposed to the longer distances a BEV or PHEV vehicle would.

The battery is charged by recovering energy that would otherwise be wasted for example when slowing down, it then feeds this energy to the electric motor to help with acceleration or low speed  driving.

  • Lower emissions - The electric motor can assist with acceleration so less strain on the engine resulting in lower emissions. The electric motor can also take over at low speeds, in stop-start traffic in town centres for example. That means the petrol engine doesn’t have to run for as long, resulting in cleaner air.
  • Reduced running costs - Using less fuel is not only good for the environment, it’s also good for your finances!
  • Doesn’t require you to make any changes, if you aren’t quite ready to switch to a BEV or PHEV then a Hybrid might be the solution you’re looking for as you don’t need anything different than you would do in a conventional petrol vehicle. The vehicles electronics take care of how the energy is recovered and used. All you have to do is refuel with petrol as normal.
  • Relaxing drive - The assistance from the electric motor means the engine doesn’t have to work as hard and that makes for a quieter journey. The added torque also means smooth acceleration for a more relaxing driving experience.

Mild Hybrid

Very similar way to a Self-Charging Hybrid but it has a smaller battery so as a result a Mild Hybrid cannot drive on pure battery power alone (unlike a Self-Charging Hybrid). Instead, the petrol or diesel engine does the majority of the work and the electric motor is there to provide assistance.

This means the engine doesn’t have to work as hard, which means lower emissions and increased fuel economy. The battery is charged by recovering energy that would otherwise be wasted, such as slowing down.  There is no need to plug-in a mild hybrid, simply keep it topped up with petrol or diesel as you would with a conventional car.

  • Lower initial cost - While a Mild Hybrid doesn’t offer the same level of benefits as a full self-charging hybrid, the Mild Hybrid’s smaller battery means the initial purchase cost is lower.
  • Reduced running cost - Using less fuel is not only good for the environment, it’s good for your finances, too! Improved fuel economy means less money spent on fuel
  • Really easy, if you aren’t quite ready to switch to a BEV, PHEV or Hybrid then a Mild-Hybrid could be the solution for you, just get in and drive a normal!

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