After decades of inaction bar for a number of organisations operating on the fringes of society, it now seems that environmental action has shot up on the popular agenda and people are genuinely beginning to push policymakers to bring lasting change. In Europe, it appears that the Europe’s Green Deal is a watershed moment and has been compared to Europe’s man on the moon moment. On the other side of the pond, the change in Presidency, saw Americans throwing out an administration that verged on denying climate change to one willing to push lower emission targets. ❣️
There is no doubt that in achieving such objectives the transport sector has a fundamental role to play. We just need to have a quick look around us. It is estimated that last year – during which traffic was supposedly on hiatus – we had some 56 new cars on the road each day.
Opting for cleaner cars is an obvious solution. There’s no doubt that electric cars are cleaner, cost-effective in the long-run, produce no noise pollution and are relatively low maintenance. Objectively though, their start-up price is still inaccessible for many. Also, charging points, which in themselves require a hefty investment, are still in the developmental phase. Not a lot of places you go to on a daily basis will have electric fuelling stations for your vehicle. It is also yet unclear who will be committing for such costs.
Even here, there’s a big question which still divides experts in the field. Is an electric vehicle truly clean? Well, they are only clean as their power supply. This matters more for Malta. Although transport is today the biggest source of pollution, it is important to keep in mind that although electrical cars would be removing the exhaust from the roads, they are still using electricity which is generated from unsustainable sources, such as gas or oil. Keep in mind that the average electric vehicle requires 30 kilowatt-hours to travel 160 km — the same amount of electricity an average Western-world home uses each day to run appliances, computers, lights, heating and air conditioning. This begs another question.
It is for this reason that self-charging hybrid options are finding important space as a transitory solution. Despite the technology having been around for some time, it is only in recent years that they have become more affordable and popular. Toyota has long been a standard-setter in the hybrid sector, with its solutions being on the market for more than 23 years.
Increased demand for hybrid cars has been one of the major reasons behind Toyota’s market gains in the first quarter of 2021. This has been fuelled by Toyota’s self-charging technology, coupled with low emission levels and very low fuel consumption.
Despite the arguments made above, there is a growing consensus that while hybrid or electric cars may not be truly the perfect green options, they are still on the whole better for the environment and for the climate than conventional vehicles. A greener way of travel will define our future. Different consumers have different needs and if you are looking at a new car investment for the coming years, this is the right time to inform yourself of the options available, so that you too can play your role towards a better cleaner world.
You can own a brand new hybrid vehicle with Toyota’s Flex offering, starting with a deposit as low as 5% of the On the Road price. Toyota Malta offers a ten year guarantee on all hybrid batteries. Discover more here.
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