On the driver’s side of nearly every car driving on the road today, there are two or three pedals that the driver operates with their feet. The new wave of hybrids, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, and electric vehicles (EVs) still have two pedals. So what is “one-pedal driving,” and how does it work?

What is one-pedal driving?

Electric motor drive systems, designed to provide propulsion in EVs, also reclaim some of that electric power through regenerative braking, also known as regen. A little-known fact is that the major internal components of electric motors and generators are very similar. However, electric motors and generators work precisely opposite each other.

In 1831, Michael Faraday’s work explained the phenomenon of electromagnetism according to Plant Engineering. Inside an electric motor, electricity flows through wire windings and a magnetic field to create a rotary force. In contrast, a generator uses a rotary force to generate electricity as the wire windings spin past magnets.

This conversion of energy, electrical to mechanical and back to electrical, makes regen beneficial and one-pedal driving so popular in EVs. In most electric vehicles, regen happens automatically when the driver releases the accelerator pedal. As the EV stops sending electricity to power its motor, it uses the car’s momentum to spin the electric motor and generate electricity. Friction from spinning the electric motor causes the EV to slow, like applying the brakes.

Read more: MotorBiscuit

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Tucked away in a workshop under a London Underground line, cars are undergoing a green metamorphosis as they shed their cylinders, spark plugs and pistons for electric engines.

“We don’t create the associated CO2 that comes from creating a new car and we’re not scrapping a perfectly valid old car. It’s win-win,” said Matthew Quitter, founder of London Electric Cars.

London Electric Cars is one of the companies capitalising on the UK’s flexible regulatory environment and special affection for cars to help grow the fledgling sector.

In the workshop, all kinds of cars have come to be reborn: Minis, Bentleys, old ones — such as a 20-year-old Volvo station wagon — and some not so old, including a platypus-like Fiat Multipla.

Some families are turning to Quitter to save their beloved vehicles from the crusher, with places such as London expanding road charges for older and more polluting vehicles.

“They’re just keen that they don’t scrap this car because they have an emotional attachment,” he said.

“The kids grew up in it and instead want to see it reborn as an electric vehicle.”

The cost of a conversion starts at £30,000 ($37,500, 35,000 euros) — the equivalent of a new entry-level electric car.

Read more: France24

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EVs Soar In Popularity As Lower Running Costs Trump Green Concerns

The proportion of motorists who would consider an electric vehicle (EV) as their next car has risen by 22% since 2019, according to research from online car sales site carwow.

Its survey of 1,735 visitors to its website in 2019 and early this year revealed that the lower running costs of EVs, compared to petrol and diesel cars, is the main attraction.

Almost half (45%) of the drivers surveyed by carwow this year said they would contemplate purchasing an EV compared to 37% in 2019.

Three years ago, the main motivating factor for 68% of drivers surveyed were the environmental benefits. Lower running costs was the second most important factor (62%).

This year has seen a switch in priorities as two thirds (66%) of motorists view lower running costs as most important. Environmental benefits are a close second at 61%.

This comes as the price of petrol and diesel hit record highs, and despite a 5p-per-litre reduction in fuel duty which came into effect in March.

The price hikes are largely due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and resulting sanctions on Russia’s crude oil exports, which have caused wholesale prices to soar.

Read more: Forbes

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The Honda Insight and Toyota Prius are renowned for being the world’s first mass-produced hybrid electric vehicles, while the Chevy Volt was the first commercially available plug-in hybrid car in the USA (according to the Department of Energy). These cars are popular, and their popularity is growing. According to Car and Driver, hybrids and Plug-in-hybrid-electric vehicles (PHEVs) are in the “middle ground” of new-age electrified vehicles and are ideal for consumers who aren’t yet ready to take the full electric plunge. Today we’re going to take a look at what makes a car classifiable as a hybrid or a plug-in hybrid.

According to Forbes, the technology behind hybrid vehicles is among the least understood environmentally-friendly tech in a vehicle today. We find this interesting since PHEVs have been around for more than a decade, while hybrids have existed since the early 2000s. In addition, PHEV sales nearly doubled from 308,000 to 608,000 in 2021, representing a 138% increase from 2020. If you are thinking of upgrading to a hybrid or plug-in hybrid vehicle, it’s crucial to discern what makes a hybrid a hybrid, and what the differences are between a standard hybrid and a PHEV.

Read more: SlashGear

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Sales of used pure electric cars have reached a record high, according to new figures.

Some 14,586 used battery electric cars were bought in the UK during the first three months of the year, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said.

That is more than double the total of 6,625 during the same period last year, with the market share of used electric vehicles rising from 1.6% to 3.6%.

Sales of used hybrids and plug-in hybrids also changed hands in greater numbers between January and March, up 35.3% and 28.8% respectively.

That is compared to the figure for new car registrations over the same period, which was 34.1%.

Overall, the number of used cars bought in the first quarter of this year increased by 5.1% compared with 2021, boosted by the 14.3% drop in new car sales, which were hit by a global lack of semiconductors.

SMMT chief executive, Mike Hawes, said: “With the new car market hampered by ongoing global supply shortages, growth in the used car market is welcome, if unsurprising especially given we were in lockdown last year.

Read more: SkyNews

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Battery electric vehicle (BEV) sales have continued to rise year-on-year despite overall declines in the new car market according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

The SMMT figures show that during April 2022, 12,899 BEVs were sold, an increase of 40.9% on the same month last year. New car sales overall, however, fell 15.8%.

BEV sales during April 2022 made up 10.8% of the market, up from 6.5% last year.

It follows March being the best ever month for sales of BEVs, with more sold in the month than in the entirety of 2019. This is of particular note as overall new car sales in the UK fell by -14.3%, making it the weakest March since 1998.

The SMMT April figures can be compared to figures from New AutoMotive, released earlier this week, which put the market share of BEVs at a very similar 10.77%. However, New AutoMotive’s figures show there were 11,685 BEVs sold during the month.

SMMT’s figures, meanwhile, show that to date this year, there have been 77,064 BEV sales – a 88.3% year-on-year increase. Sales of BEVs to date this year therefore represent a 14.4% market share, compared to a 7.2% market share this time last year.

Read more: Current+

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