Mild hybrids, broadly speaking, are cars that that both a traditional internal combustion engine alongside an electric machine/generator. What this means is that the petrol/diesel part of the engine can be turned off at various points during a journey, such as when a car is stationary, but it can then restart really quickly. It can also augment the power of the traditional engine, but you can drive this vehicle as if it were a traditionally fuelled car.
The mild hybrid, as you might expect, takes the principles of a hybrid but utilises them in the mildest of ways. They typically have a small battery and an electric motor that can take over running the car’s ancillaries, such as the headlights and air conditioning.
This is particularly useful, because it means the engine can be turned off to save fuel at times when it is not needed, such as when decelerating or when stopped. The important distinction here, too, is that the wheels cannot be powered by the electric motor.
While it tends to mean the engine isn’t being used at times when it’s not being particularly inefficient anyway, the economy gains are fairly small. However, on the plus side, it’s the batteries that tend to add cost to hybrids, meaning mild hybrids tend to be less expensive to buy than other models.
It's pretty much the same as driving a traditional car, te engine may stop more often because of the power supplied by the battery. And you can accelerate really quickly due to the electric charge provided.
The battery doesn't actually move the car forward, it simply helps make the car run more efficiently during certain functions such as the start/stop system.
Sadly not. Only zero emissions vehicles are exempt from tax.
Yes it's perfectly safe and has been tested, so you can have full confidence you are safe.
This is a matter for individual brands to decide, but Land Rover for example have given their EV batteries a six year warranty.
Most of the charging goes on overnight when other demands are low, so the expectation is that there will be no problem with electricity demand.
Yes. All new models of car and van have to comply with the same safety standards of every other vehicle.