12 April 2021
PHEV’s – Climate conscious choice or already yesterdays news?
Reuters report that the EU policy plans for plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs), which contain an electric battery and a combustion engine, could mean the “transition” technology has a shorter lifespan than envisaged by some leading automakers.
Draft green finance regulations would ban manufacturers from labelling them as “sustainable investments” beyond 2025, which could have the consequences of killing the demand today.
One study, from the International Council on Clean Transportation last September, said PHEVs’ fuel consumption and CO2 emissions are up to four times the level they are approved for because people do not charge them often enough.
Julia Poliscanova, senior director for vehicles and e-mobility at European NGO Transport & Environment, said its own research showed that when driven in combustion-engine mode, hybrids’ CO2 emissions were higher than conventional cars’ – they’re heavier than combustion-only cars so used more fuel.
“From the perspective of environment and climate, today’s plug-in hybrid technology is worse than what it is replacing.”
But Carmakers say hybrids, used properly with electric as the primary power source and combustion as a back-up, emit far less than conventional cars. They add that PHEVs are a popular transitional choice for consumers who want greener travel.
So, this could be another change as the Car Parc moves to an EV future.