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.
Not to throw shade, but why the fuck would you want to maintain 2 entirely separate power trains. It’s a recipe for extra maintenance costs in my view.
BEV4ME.
It’s not two entirely separate powertrains though, it’s usually just an engine paired to a hybrid motor/transmission combo and they’ve been on the roads for decades, so it’s easy to see what their typical repair costs are.
I’m not sure about how ALL plug-in hybrids work, but I know that most models a single, electric, power train. The gas aspect is a generator that can power the electric motor and offload it’s excess power into the battery. That way when the generator is needed it can almost always be at it’s optimal power setting.
With the Toyota kind, it’s both, but they have a special transmission/eCVT for it, rather than just bolting a motor to the driveshaft.
The motor’s also responsible for the engine gearing in that case.
The PHEV just uses a beefier motor, so it doesn’t need the engine to move the vehicle.