Safe driving with electric cars
In snowy and icy conditions, drivers of electric and hybrid vehicles face a number of challenges. New courses help to be prepared for them.
More and more vehicles with hybrid or electric drives are on the road in Switzerland. Of course, these are also designed for driving in the cold season, but they can have their own peculiarities when it comes to driving behavior. That is why the TCS together with the Vaudois municipality of Ormont-Dessus, for the first time specific snow and ice driving courses for vehicles with alternative drives.
This novel course concept was developed on the initiative of the municipality of Ormont-Dessus and the Diablerets tourist office together with TCS Training & Events. The aim is to address the specific characteristics of vehicles with alternative forms of propulsion. "In general, there is not much difference between a conventional car with automatic transmission and an electric car" explains Jean-Pierre Knoblauch, head of special driving courses at TCS. "Nevertheless, you can definitely experience surprises when driving on slippery surfaces, especially when braking. Because of the strong engine braking effect, you have to choose the right settings, especially for energy recuperation."
Rising number of hybrid and electric cars
Cars with hybrid or electric drives are also becoming increasingly popular in Switzerland. Within ten years, their market share has risen from 1% to around 5%. In 2015, for example, sales of externally rechargeable hybrid vehicles rose by a whole 179% compared with the previous year (source: e-mobile). On the one hand, this growth can be explained by the reduction of battery production costs by 80%, which has a direct impact on the price attractiveness of the vehicles and thus ultimately on demand. And on the other hand, of course, the nationwide and comprehensive expansion of the network of charging stations has also contributed to this. According to auto-schweiz, more than 15,000 cars with alternative drives were sold in Switzerland in 2016, which is 11.5% more than in the previous year.
