Carvendo

Plug-in hybrids are perhaps the most talked about cars of the moment. In theory, they are brilliant: you drive electrically in everyday life, you can get away with it with a 100 kilometer electric range, and you only have the combustion engine as a backup for the long stretches. But as with much automotive technology, theory and practice are often further apart than manufacturers and policy makers want to admit.

What appears to be going on now?

a lot of plug-in hybrid drivers don't charge consistently at all. And then such an economical concept simply turns into a petrol-engined car that carries pounds of battery and electric motor without a function. In Germany, people are already saying out loud: then we should start forcing people to charge. Less power as punishment. Mute the car in terms of performance. The idea that the car corrects you. And that, frankly, feels very uncomfortable. That's not what we want mobility to be.

Meanwhile, the CBS comes out with figures that particulate matter has fallen in the Netherlands over the past ten years. 16 percent less, in fact. But that is mainly thanks to better motors and particulate filters. Not by plug-in hybrids. In fact, according to the same CBS data, plug-in hybrids emit even more particulate matter than diesels on average (0.027 grams per km vs 0.025). Because they are heavier. Because tires wear out faster. Because brake dust is also just rock solid particulate matter. And that's something that a lot of consumers don't know: EVs and hybrids also emit particulate matter, not just from the exhaust but through mass and mechanical wear and tear.

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Because of this, things go wrong

And this is exactly where, in our opinion, things go wrong in how these kinds of concepts are conceived. It's not about consumers. It depends on the fact that technology is being built that no one asked for, that only works on paper and is then accepted in Brussels as a success for regulations, but where in real life, the driver turns off all “economical features” as quickly as possible, because it does not work well, takes effort, does not suit behavioral patterns, or simply provides too little benefit.

At Carvendo, we don't believe in punishments to enforce behavior. We believe that the car industry should listen to people. Build cars that are intuitive, logical, and comfortably sustainable. Not something you get punished for “not doing well”. You should want to use sustainable technology because it is finer, simpler and more human. Not because you're afraid of restrictions or sanctions.

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The crux of the problem

Should these kinds of restrictions and penalty systems become a reality in future hybrids or EVs, things are going completely in the wrong direction. Because consumers simply won't buy these cars. People want to be able to adapt a car to their own use. That makes sense: a car costs a huge amount of money, and it's literally an extension of yourself. You want to buy something that is affordable, economical, pleasant, logical and easy to use. If, under pressure from Brussels, manufacturers start building products that work against consumers, consumers will either look for ways around it or they will simply not buy it. And then the idea doesn't work at all.

That is the crux of the problem. Not the consumer. But product development that is independent of real need. Innovation must be people-centered. Not imposed. That's where the industry needs to reinvent itself. And that is the path we want to choose at Carvendo.

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