Why do you classify hybrids as electric cars?
Why do you classify hybrids as electric cars? I'm not talking plug-ins, in which a case can be made. I mean non-plug-ins, which take all their power from fossil fuels - no part of their power comes from clean sources.
So the latest stats say 54-per-cent increase in sales for electric cars, but a high proportion of that is for hybrids that take all power from fossil fuels.
I have no doubt the government wants to label them as electric as it helps them in their delusional expectations that we will get to 100 -per-cent electric by 2030. But surely it is the job of journalists to state, and push for, the truth rather than push a narrative?
I'm not saying you should call them petrol/diesel but they are definitely not electric cars.
I'm not anti-electric, I'm much more for the right technology for each individual. Electric doesn't suit my use until megawatt charging (or hydrogen refuelling) is the norm, but I have suggested to others to go electric as suits their use. But I find the pro-electric push annoying and frustrating, particularly from journalists.
A 600km range is great, but a 30 to 40min recharge time (in ideal circumstances) is ridiculously slow. I can add 1,000km range to my diesel in four minutes. And no, like alot of people in cities I can't charge cheaply overnight as I don't have a garden.
Diana (Cork)Apr 2026 Filed under: electric cars
Expert answer
Hi Diana and thanks for this message.
I'm a little perplexed by it though as we quite strongly believe that hybrids are not electric cars and should not be classified as such. The latest SIMI figures on this page state a 52 per cent increase in the number of EV registrations, and that is indeed fully electric cars. That figure does not include hybrids of any sort.