Drivers of Citroen’s C5 Aircross SUV hybrid will soon receive notifications telling them to regularly charge their vehicles…
Charge Your Hybrid
Citroen’s C5 Aircross hybrid will soon remind drivers to regularly charge their vehicles. The company’s ‘Plug-In Reminders’ are designed to help drivers optimise both their car’s efficiency and environmental impact. The notifications will appear via touchscreens, activating after five days have passed and when at least ten journeys have been made without any charging. The alerts will also appear in the upcoming C5 X Hybrid, which is due to launch sometime next year.
The notifications will be made available to Citroen hybrid drivers via over-the-air software updates. As a result, there’s no need to visit a dealership. Citroen isn’t the first to try to use novel ways to encourage hybrid drivers to charge their cars. Volvo, for instance, offered free electricity to its customers.
An Uncertain Role
The role of hybrids in the automotive industry, and in addressing environmental concerns, is a debated one. Automakers typically favour them as a stepping-stone between ICE models and BEVs; gently introducing consumers to battery technology and allowing them time to adapt their business models and supply-chains. Critics, however, argue that hybrids are usually favored due to tax breaks – rarely ever being charged by those who own them. The result, then, is a particularly heavy vehicle that’s used as a conventional vehicle, actually proving worse for the environment.
In the UK, the sale of new hybrids will be banned in 2035 – five years after the sale of new diesel and petrol vehicles. It’ll be interesting to see whether automakers continue to invest in them, or whether they simply opt to go all-in with BEVS.
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