So what is the right powerplant nowadays?

The transportation questions in Manila have just gotten even more confusing. We are still saddled with the fact that our deteriorating, in a financial sense, vehicles can only be used four out of five work days unless they are electrics or hybrids. That in a system that is still somewhat confusing in terms of how those are defined.

Now, based on questions that I’ve been getting from, quite interestingly, a lot of doctors we have the added aspect of what do we do now that we’re seeing gas stations with signs that say no stock in certain types of fuel?

Let’s be clear though. Fuel prices at your pump move more with what companies want to make than with what is still months away from reaching the end user. that is a whole different ethical discussion.

But let’s look at something else. If you are worried about get around in the coming months, what systems will work for you? We just spent a few weeks with an all-electric Hyundai Ioniq 9 testing the different systems for public charging. And while they are better than before, they are still not optimal and they are still somewhat inconsistent.

In discussions with AC Mobility about the lack of infrastructure needed, when they first said they would never bring in any hybrids because their strength is fully electric, they said that charging spots at first would probably be taken up by all the cheap cars. They were correct, because right now it’s mostly BYDs taking up the space. The nicer cars seem to be charged at home. But with the exception of a weekend night in a mall with four Shell spots full, we were generally able to find a place on the Evro app to charge for a short time. One thing to note though is that if you’re used to the slower chargers, plugging into a fast charger means you have to reassess how soon you will be done. And while some systems allow you to change charging parameters via your phone, such as what we did with BMW, this isn’t often the case. So you may be hit with an unexpected 500 peso per hour penalty past 30 minutes. So this is all clearly still a work in progress.

If you have the ability to go full electric and are able to charge at home and you commit to that somewhat lifestyle choice, that may be a great answer. Hybrids are, for almost all people, the best answer in general.

Right now though we’re facing a case of potential fuel shortages. Plug-in hybrids may be the answer for some. At the lower cost levels they kind of tap both worlds, but not necessarily maximizing either according to some brands. They, however, might turn out to be a great choice because if fuel becomes hard to get, then you just plug in either at home or office or in public stations. Note, though, that plug-in hybrids actually charge more slowly than full electrics because they’re not actually meant to be charged in public spots as much as overnight at home. Additionally, if you don’t plug in your plug-in hybrid, you end up carrying around more weight with a less efficient engine. So if you have a plug, use it.

What I find interesting is that the plug-in hybrid system is actually providing a lot of benefits for the higher-end and performance cars because they can put together vehicles that are built for emotion and fun and a premium feel. And for cars like the plug-in hybrid Lamborghini Revuelto or the newly launched Audi Q5 Hybrid, they really do take from the best of those two worlds.

There will no longer be one-size-fits-all power plants any more than there were one-size-fits-all cars. You can really choose what works best for you. It may take a little more work on your end deciding exactly what that is, but it is really great to have that choice.