However idyllic the original idea of vehicles with a plug-in hybrid system looks on paper, the reality is diametrically different from it. Compared to a conventional incinerator, the difference in emissions produced is 20%, instead of the estimated 200%. How is it possible?
Cars that combine an internal combustion and electric engine with the possibility of external charging are known as plug-in hybrids. This type of drive is often promoted as an intermediate step before the complete ban of internal combustion engines in 2035. It offers a compromise – during the daily commute you mainly use electricity, while for longer trips you will use the much higher energy density of fossil fuels. People learn to drive quietly, save range with recuperation and try charging for the first time.
But what if these drivers charge their car inappropriately, or even at all? What if they got it for private use from their employer, who can write in a press release a week later that he, too, helped save our planet? Or the person really buys a plug-in hybrid himself, but the main reason is not the reduction of produced emissions, but free parking in the center of the capital. Because the difference between the price of a purely combustion engine and a hybrid engine was only a few thousand crowns, and the benefits are worth it despite the fact that the charging cable will remain wrapped under the floor in the trunk for the entire duration of operation.
Last month, the European Commission published the first results from measuring actual CO emissions2 cars and vans, based on data from on-board devices for monitoring fuel consumption, and the result does not look very flattering – plug-in hybrid vehicles were measured on average 3.5 times higher values than laboratory ones. To answer the question “why?”, go back a few lines. The biggest problem with plug-in hybrids are their drivers.
The goal of a complete ban on combustion engines is to reduce emissions from transport, i.e. from a sector that accounts for roughly one-fifth of global emissions. This turning point is followed by small steps, which the European Union tries to monitor through the statistics of individual manufacturers, who submit the data from the measurements to the officials. But according to a report by the European Commission, drivers of plug-in hybrid cars produce an average of 139.4 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer. In contrast, car manufacturers’ estimates, which are determined from laboratory tests, state 39.6 grams. It should be added that even cars with a conventional drive produce more emissions in real life than on paper, but here we are talking about a quarter increase at most.
While the method established for measuring CO2 estimates that the driver will use the electric motor 70 to 85% of the time to power the plug-in hybrid vehicle, real-world data revealed that the “combustion engine” is not used for only 45 to 49% of the time. Those who received a plug-in hybrid from their employer only use the electric drive 13% of the time! If you feel that the share of plug-in hybrids is negligible in Europe, a look at the sales statistics will quickly disprove you. Last year alone, over 1.17 million were registered in this area. Based on these data, it can be concluded that the transport sector is actually making less progress in meeting climate goals than it is given credit for.
World politicians and owners of all-electric cars also look down on some plug-in drivers because of their charging method. In an ideal world, you come home with a hybrid, leave it to charge overnight and leave in the morning with a full battery. In reality, however, we often see full parking spaces at public charging stations where cars with a partially electrified drive stand for hours. Most of them have limited charging power and essentially block stations for electric cars that depend on electricity. Many experts from countries where plug-in hybrids have been or are being subsidized are even leaning towards banning their charging at public stations, or limiting them to “slow” AC stations.
