While most hybrids are said to use one to two litres of fuel per 100km, a study claims they need six litres on average
Plug-in hybrid electric cars (PHEVs) use much more fuel on the road than officially stated by their manufacturers, a large-scale analysis of about a million vehicles of this type has shown.
The Fraunhofer Institute carried out what is thought to be the most comprehensive study of its kind to date, using the data transmitted wirelessly by PHEVs from a variety of manufacturers while they were on the road.
. . .
According to the study, the vehicles require on average six litres per 100km, or about 300%, more fuel to run than previously cited.
The scientists of the Fraunhofer Institute found that the main reason for the higher-than-stated fuel usage was due precisely to the fact that the PHEVs use two different modes, the electric engine and the combustion engine, switching between both. Until now it has been claimed by manufacturers that the vehicles used only a little or almost no fuel when in the electric mode. The studies showed that this was not in fact the case.
It’s misleading because it is reporting a very generalized average fuel consumption (actual usage) of all PHEVs while manufacturer claims are based on individual vehicle potential.
Manufacturers cannot control how people use their cars, they can only assure that the cars operate the way they claim when used the way they suggest.
But isn’t that like Apple saying “you’re holding it wrong”?
I don’t think it’s being portrayed as a manufacturer conspiracy. When Porsche says their tests are “based on the legally prescribed EU measurement procedures,” I’m sure they’re not lying. But these data say pretty clearly that those tests don’t predict observed reality. If they don’t, what good are they really? Shouldn’t we use testing that better reflect observed fuel usage?
No. It’s like blaming ladder companies because people fall off ladders while drunk.
If a person designs to bash in their face with a hammer, government should not ban hammers.
Americans love to sit idling their V8 trucks.
The way I read it is:
Sadly, it sounds like Porsche drivers may fall into the first category and Toyota drivers in the second. And there are enough Porches to skew the MPG of the whole PHEV class.
(it’s also possible that Porsche/VW/Audi just make PHEVs that score well on gov’t tests but poorly in the real world, though I’d lean towards the drivers. But the article title really implies that all PHEVs get shockingly bad mileage)
The article is designed to support the anti green agenda now popular. Like that Volvo white paper that claims EVs take more resources to make, but no one read that paper. They compared ICE to EV, but excluded the engine and transmission metals from ICE. I guess those grow on trees.
The media constantly quotes this paper and no one actually read it.
I think it’s more like Apple saying you get 24 hours of battery life on an iPhone, but in reality, if you use it frequently or play games, the battery underperforms to the stated life. If these vehicles are driven aggressively or not recharged at mfg expected intervals, like fleet utilization, that would skew the general mpg for the population. I’m not saying that’s what happening, but it’s a possible explanation.
I guess it’s just that 300% on average seems like a lot, y’know? Like, if the average iPhone user was getting just 8 hours of an advertised 24, people would be pretty pissed. They’d probably ask for testing that better reflects real-world usage ;)
But if 50% of iPhone users are professional mobile gamers, their utilization is an outlier skewing the sample. I’d like to see the population in the sample for this study. For the average PHEV driver, they probably get close to the mfg estimate when driven as expected but the generalized data encompasses non standard users.
ICE vehicle manufacturers don’t give MPG estimates based on burning out at every stop light, driving with various octane fuels, or many other factors that can effect fuel economy. They give estimates based on a certain usage. I have a Subaru WRX and average 2-3 more mpg than mfg estimates on hwy usage. That difference is in my favor, but it still shows that estimates are just estimates based on a baseline use.
If Apple were dismissing half their users as outliers, I still think people would be pretty pissed…
Based on what though? Is this just an assumption?
Unfortunately (and annoyingly), the Guardian doesn’t link to the study. I took a quick look and found a similar study from 2022 (PDF but nothing recent. Their conclusions are similar and they do differentiate between private and fleet vehicles.
Yea. All of my theories on this are just based on assumption. Everything I mentioned is probable and at some degree does play a part in the numbers. Some people drive crazy, some don’t charge, etc. There are some other anecdotes in this thread that support some of my claims. One comment mentioned a PHEV driver thought the battery recharged while driving, not knowing it needs to be plugged in. That’s certainly a more extreme case, but I would imagine there a lots of users that drive too long between charges. IF that is happening widespread, then people are using the vehicles outside of mfg specs. We don’t know the exact reason and probably never will get that sort of detail, but it’s a possibility, and if it’s true, that would take the liability off of the mfg imo. All speculation though.
Well, I think we both effectively said our bits. Fun disagreeing with you. Cheers 🍻
Outrage seems to be inversely proportional to experienced convenience, not necessarily performance disparity.
Car manufacturers have always overstated mileage ratings because their tests are done in very controlled environs under ideal conditions.
They cannot control how you use their vehicle, but they can baseline it. That’s what those ratings have always reflected, and why. “Here is the way this car performs under ideal circumstances. YMMV”