2013 Audi A3

3 Technologies In 3 Weeks: Electric, Diesel And Hybrid

 
2,294 views Mar 21, 2010
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2010 Toyota Prius

HI-RES GALLERY: 2010 Toyota Prius

Fill it up please: Power, Diesel or Gasoline.

Citroen C1 ev'ie
Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion
Toyota Prius

I have had the opportunity to test these cars in three weeks. Not only are the cars very different, but the technology is also very different.

The Citroen C1 ev'ie electric vehicle is a fantastic city car that can also be used on the road outside the city, but it has a max speed of about 56 mph. The range is up to 62 miles and it needs about 7 hours of charge. It’s amazing to drive around in the city with no sound or pollution.

Volkswagen’s Golf is in its sixth generation and I was surprised that Volkswagen managed to make it quite a lot better than the fifth generation. The interior is smarter and now more appealing to a younger demographic, but no USB or auxiliary ports in some markets? That’s unbelievable. Driving on the motorway at 68 mph in the BlueMotion model is very quiet--it is the ultimate long distance machine.

The 2010 Toyota Prius has a lot smarter interior and is well equipped and it’s nice that it can run in all-electric mode for a few miles. I took it for a weekend drive with the family and did more than 497 miles in it. It had a bit of an annoying sound when accelerating on the motorway.

I tested the Golf BlueMotion and Prius over the same three distances to compare the consumption. The big surprise was that Golf did a little better in the city and the Prius a little better on the country roads. The Golf looked more sensible to cold starts than the Prius.

What is the winning technology?

I must say that the hybrids are under a lot of pressure, because the clean diesels are having about the same consumption and are a lot cheaper and simpler. I look forward to testing the Prius with a diesel engine one day. The hybrids must work towards plug-in hybrid technology to stay competitive.

The electric vehicles are very different with the possibility to run on renewable energy. I used the Citroen for more than 120 miles in one weekend and was surprised how easy I got rid of the Range panic issue, so I have high expectations on development of electric cars if they get affordable soon.

So my conclusion is that any kind of electrification of cars is under a lot of pressure from the clean diesels.





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