ALL YOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT ELECTRIC AND HYBRID VEHICLES

The main reason why electric cars are more expensive compared to petrol or diesel vehicles, is because of the battery. EV batteries cost a lot to make because they comprise of precious metals and their vast energy capacity means they have to be constructed carefully. For example, the DS 3 E-TENSE holds the same amount of power as 18,000 smartphones! 

But, whilst electric cars are a higher price on the list front, they’re cheaper to maintain and run. Thus, the total cost of owning an electric vehicle will be the same or less compared to a conventional car. This is thanks to an EV having fewer moving parts, and electric power being a much cheaper ‘fuel’ than petrol or diesel. 

Additionally, here at DS, we offer multiple finance and leasing solutions that can be tailored to you and your budget. Making purchasing an electric car easier than ever. 

A hybrid car is one that uses two types of power. Hybrids combine a conventional engine (petrol or diesel) with an electric motor to power the vehicle. The key benefit of a hybrid car is that they consume less fuel than their conventional counterpart.   

However, with that being said, there are differences in the efficiency of hybrid cars. We explain the varieties below:  

• Mild hybrid (MHEV) – These vehicles combine electric and a conventional engine like full hybrids (HEV), except you cannot run on electric power alone. The electric motor is just used to power the combustion engine, meaning the vehicle is just slightly more efficient.  
• Full Hybrid (HEV): Hybrids use both the electric and combustion engine to power the car – either simultaneously or separately. The electric battery is charged through regenerative braking and the internal combustion engine, rather than plugging in like a PHEV.  
• Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV): Plug-in hybrids have the most battery power and usually have far more electric range than any other type of hybrid. For example, the DS 7 E-TENSE 4X4 360 can cover up to 36 miles in 100% electric mode, sufficient for most journeys. The outstanding battery capacity in a PHEV is due to the vehicles being charged through plug-in, alongside regenerative braking.

The government has announced that petrol and diesel vehicles will be banned from sale in 2030. However, this doesn’t mean you won’t be able to drive them, or they’ll be banned on roads, you just won’t be able to buy a brand-new petrol or diesel car after 2030. 

Whilst it may seem like a big change, petrol and diesel cars won’t be replaced overnight. So, we’ll see many gradual changes over the years that will make owning an EV accessible for all. 

There will still be internal combustion engine vehicles on the roads, long after the ban on the sale of new internal combustion engines. Namely because the average lifespan of a car is around 12 years, plus you will still be able to purchase second-hand petrol and diesel vehicles. 

You will still be able to fuel up on petrol and diesel at petrol stations, too. However, the number of pumps will eventually decrease with the onset of new electric charging points for EVs.

When an electric vehicle is being scrapped the battery can either be repurposed for use in homes or businesses or recycled to obtain raw useful materials. 

This second-life recycling means electric batteries could have another 10 years of life in alternative applications. You can learn more about electric batteries in our definitive guide.

Driving an electric motor is a lot similar to most cars, many of the controls are the same so there’s nothing new to learn. In fact, there could be less to learn.

One big difference is how efficient it feels to drive an EV. Electric motors are automatic and have no gears, which makes acceleration seamless. Additionally, electric cars deliver instant power as soon as you push the pedal, feeling faster from standstill than most cars.

All DS Automobiles electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles boast a variety of driving modes to alter the way the car responds. The ‘Eco’ setting can be used to save electric power and cover more miles. Whilst the ‘Sport’ mode provides more power but is less efficient. 

One innovative technology of electric and hybrid vehicles is regenerative braking. Your EV harnesses power every time you lift your foot off the accelerator. You can tailor the regeneration to suit how you drive, by selecting a level from imperceptible to strong.

Electric batteries are incredibly robust, and although some degradation is expected this is certainly minimal. For peace of mind, we cover the vehicle to 70% of its original capacity over 8 years.

The battery shouldn’t need any repairs, however, should there be an issue the battery pack can be assessed by DS Automobile technicians. If necessary, individual cells within the battery pack can be replaced to restore the battery. 

Your battery pack is maintenance free, there’s no need to add fuel, oil or water to maintain your car, except charge when required. Every time your DS is serviced, your DS Automobile technician will check the EV battery to ensure it’s kept healthy. 

There are steps you can take to ensure the battery is in as good shape as possible, such as not charging to 100% if it’s not required. If you’re not going on a long journey, it’s best to top up to 80% or less. It’s easy to set the charge level in the EV menu to avoid any unnecessary charge. 

If you do require a 100% charge, it’s best not to leave the car fully charged for long periods. Similarly, it’s best not to leave the car with a very low charge.

Yes, they are as safe, or safer in an accident than a petrol or diesel car. This has been revealed by EuroNCAP, the independent testing organisation, which tests most cars on sale.

Additionally, all DS electric vehicles are equipped with an additional safety pack, which entails the latest technology to keep you and other road users safe.

Yes, you can drive an electric vehicle in the exact same conditions as a conventional car. Electric motors go through the same rigorous tests as petrol and diesel cars, so they’re just as safe in wet settings, and even car washes.

Charging an EV/PHEV is easy, you can even schedule charges at the comfort of your home with the MyDS App. We recommend customers should have a home charging point, so charging is faster and more convenient. Owners can get money towards a home charging grant through the EVHS scheme. 

Outside of the home, there are over 40,000 charging points across the UK with more being added regularly. At public charge points you will have the choice of two types of charging: AC and DC. You will often find AC points at train stations, or where you’re likely to be parked for a long time. DC, otherwise known as rapid charging, is normally found in service stations or near busy roads. These charge points are much faster than AC, and are meant to be used for long journeys, or a weekly charge if you don’t have a home charger.

The length of time taken to charge an electric car will depend on the size of the battery and the electric connection you use; this can range from just 30 minutes or more than 12 hours. 

The DS 3 E-TENSE can be charged to 80% in just 30 minutes with a 100kW rapid charger (DC). Owners using a home charging point (wallbox) can complete at full charge in 7 hours and 30 minutes (7kW Accelerated charging), which is perfect for overnight charging. Whereas the DS 7 PHEV can be fully charged in 2 hours with a home 7kW charger.

Your electric bill will likely rise if you charge your vehicle at home regularly, but you don’t have to pay for petrol or diesel ever again, so you’ll still save overall. Many EV owners take advantage of off-peak charging rates by charging their car overnight. It’s worth shopping around for different energy deals which will take into account your higher usage. You may also want to look for energy tariffs that have a longer off-peak period to ensure you can fully charge your vehicle at a reduced price. 

It’s easy to make use of your energy tariffs off-peak period with the MyDS app, just simply programme charges through your phone to start at the cheaper rate. 

Additionally, you can also take advantage of the many free charging points across the country, often found at work, shops or some businesses.

If you are driving a PHEV, the car will simply switch to petrol power once the battery runs out. In an 100% electric car, the experience will be very similar to when you run out of fuel in an internal combustion engine car. You will get plenty of warning beforehand, much like a petrol or diesel car. 

As soon as your battery gets low, DS electric vehicles will locate your nearest charging points with the DS Connect feature. If you do happen to run out of power, DS Connect can call DS’s mobility service who will take you to the nearest charge point, to help get you back on the road. 

DS Automobiles will continue to work with experts from across the world to ensure we are at the forefront of using fuels that are as efficient and sustainable as possible. 

Currently, there are practicalities around production, storage and distribution of hydrogen. Which means at the moment electric vehicles are a far better option, plus they are much cheaper to buy and run. 

Therefore, DS Automobiles believes hydrogen will have a place in the future for fuelling transport, so will continue to test and develop hydrogen vehicles. But, at the current moment, DS Automobiles believes electric battery technology is more appealing for smaller vehicles.

Some industry experts have proposed synthetic fuels as a way of reducing carbon. Like hydrogen, these are produced using electricity to manufacture a fuel which can then be burned in a conventional internal combustion engine. Meaning they can be used in existing conventional vehicles with no changes needed to infrastructure. 

Like hydrogen, generating these fuels takes a lot of energy but can be a good way of using renewable energy which is usually difficult to distribute or store, such as solar power in remote desert areas. This could be an excellent way of reducing reliance on fossil fuels for heavy vehicles such as trucks, buses and even ships. 

However, in the UK and Europe, we have an advanced and developing electric charging infrastructure, hence why DS Automobiles believes in continuing to develop affordable EV and PHEV to make the biggest impact on reducing the carbon footprint.

DS is full committed to electrification and every vehicle we launch from 2019 onwards will have a choice of drivetrain: internal combustion engine, and either a full electric or plug in hybrid.  From 2025, we’ll take this to the next level and step away from conventional combustion engines, launching only electrified vehicles.

Currently available are:

DS 3 E-TENSE: a battery electric vehicle

DS 4 E-TENSE: a plug-in hybrid

DS 7 E-TENSE: a plug in hybrid

DS 9 E-TENSE: a plug in hybrid

We are fully committed to reducing the environmental impact of our business. This is not restricted to only reducing the CO₂ and NOX output of the vehicles we sell – but stretches to the full life cycle of those vehicles and components, and our wider business operations, including our offices and production plants. Our parent company Stellantis Group has a very wide ranging scope of activity in this space: from carbon sink projects, to the circular economy of vehicle parts, to using connected car technology to launch innovative electric car sharing schemes (for example Leasys).

Full detail can be found in our comprehensive Corporate Social Responsibility policy on our group website: https://www.groupe-psa.com/en/automotive-group/responsibility/

Our strategy is to offer customer choice: it’s all about what is the right vehicle solution depending on an individual drivers needs and usage cycle. So we offer a choice of petrol, diesel and electrified option on the same car. This means that you don’t have to compromise on the size or style of vehicle you want in order to be more environmentally focused, and can select the drivetrain which works best for you.

While we are committed to bringing electric vehicles to the mainstream, we continue to invest in research and development of all different types of fuel sources, so we can be sure to always have the best solutions available to meet our customer’s needs.

This is fully dependent on where you charge and the cost of your electricity.  Some public chargepoints are completely free, others have variable charges.  Most customer’s install a chargepoint at their home.

Electricity is priced by kWh (kilowatt hour) - so for a full battery charge you multiply the price per kWh by the capacity of the battery (in the same way today you would multiply the price per gallon, by the fuel tank capacity.

Average UK electricity cost (according to google) is 18.9p per kWh
Our new electric vehicles have a 50kW battery
So a full charge would cost 18.9p x 50 = £9.45. 
If you then drive the WLTP range of up to 250 miles, this equates to 3.78p per mile.

Many energy companies are now offering ‘electric vehicle tariffs’ where charging at certain times is cheaper.  We make this easy for you to manage – from either the vehicle or your MYDS app, you can programme the vehicle to start charging at a time convenient to you.  So plug in when you get home, but tell the car to not start drawing power until your off-peak rate kicks in!

Our charging partner is Pod Point, so they can assist with installing a chargepoint at your home. They are fully approved under the government Homecharge scheme, so if you have off street parking, you can usually benefit from grant funding of £350 towards the cost of this. 

For more details, visit: https://pod-point.com/products/homecharge

If you do not have off street parking at your property then you cannot currently benefit from the governments Homecharge grant scheme, but there are still ways to charge your vehicle.

Workplace: the government also offers grants to workplaces installing charging points, so see if your company is interested in this.  Our charging partner is Pod Point, so they can assist with your workplace needs, and can advise on the government workplace grant funding.  Find more information here: https://pod-point.com/solutions/business/workplace-charging

Public: there is a vast network of publically available chargepoints across the country – and many of them are completely free to use.  You can see details of all chargepoints available, and find out what’s in your area here: www.zap-map.com

On Street Residential: central government has funding available to local councils for them to provide charging points for residents who have to park on the street.  Some London boroughs have introduced lamppost charging already, and many other councils are working on solutions.  Ask your council what’s going on in your local area.

We understand that customer are worried about the costs of batteries – so that’s why we provide an exceptionally long traction battery warranty! For the first 8 years or 100,000 miles your battery will be covered by a manufacturer’s warranty, subject to our standard Ts&Cs, such as having your vehicle serviced at the right time. The warranty stays with the vehicle – so is fully transferable to a new owner, therefore also helping with the resale value and confidence a second owner can have in the vehicle.

The costs of batteries has also decreased very significantly over the past 8 years, and will continue to do so. This is partly due to reducing costs of raw materials as electric vehicle become more popular and volume increases, but also because ‘second life’ uses of batteries mean they don’t just need to be recycled (at cost to the manufacturer) but can be repurposed for uses such energy storage.

For full information, see our Charging page…

But in summary:

Our new generation electric vehicles are equipped with CCS (Combined Charging System) sockets, so they can be charged from a standard Type 2 chargepoint, a domestic plug socket, or a public rapid charger. 

Our plug-in hybrids have Type 2 sockets – as they don’t need to be rapid charged.

Different continents have different charging standards, and many of the first EVs brought into the UK came from Asia and adopted the Japanese standards, known as Type 1 and CHAdeMO. There are gradually being phased out in Europe, as most manufacturers selling cars here now adopt the European standard sockets called Type 2 and CCS. 

As domestic plugs differ between countries, the domestic charging cables sold as accessories are different depending on the country.