Ask the expert: Is there a ‘greener' way to tow my boat than my Audi diesel?
I use my Audi Q3 40 TDI to tow a small boat trailer. My children and grandchildren want me to switch to a greener car, but I cannot find such a thing that can do what the Audi can – get to the south coast from Cheshire with my boat on two-thirds of a tank of diesel. I cannot find a reasonably priced electric car which will tow 2.2-tonnes and I have not seen a recharge station which will allow a car with a trailer. So it seems an impossible problem, although my children simply think I'm being old-fashioned. Am I wrong?
– AL
Dear AL,
You're correct that the only EVs that can tow the weight you describe are pretty pricey. I count seven in total, of which the most 'affordable' is the Audi Q6 – starting price £60,000-odd.
I also agree that towing is not something that's been factored in by designers of electric car charging bays. Those who tow with EVs usually have to unhitch their trailer, charge, then re-hitch before continuing their journey. I daresay we will eventually see dedicated chargers for towing vehicles appear in motorway services – but we're not there yet.
Bearing all that in mind, I think switching to an EV doesn't make sense at the moment.
What about a hybrid, though? The biggest dent in your Q3's green credentials is that it was rated at only two out of five stars by ADAC (the German equivalent to the AA) in its independent emissions tests. It said that while NOx emissions were impressive at moderate speeds, higher loads (such as on a motorway) generated a comparatively high amount of pollutants, albeit still within the legal limit.
Switching to a hybrid would reduce those pollutants, although the CO2 emissions would be roughly the same. What's more, buying a new car incurs all the carbon cost inherent in the manufacture of a vehicle, which you could avoid by simply keeping your current car.
So to summarise: switching to an EV is probably out of the question for a while at least; switching to a new hybrid would potentially reduce your NOx and particulate output, but cause a net increase in your CO2 emissions. Is making the change worth it? I don't believe so. If I were you, I'd stick with the Audi – especially if you're happy with it.
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