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.
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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 a badge of honor, I’ve participated in climate research in my career, I’m fully aware of the pollution issues of Diesel cars regarding particulate matter and nitrous oxides. What do I do about it: I don’t drive it in cities. I only use my car for trips that take me between towns that have no solid public transit communication (which is unfortunately the case for many towns near Madrid among each other). The nitrous oxide impact is mostly local and, if you look at NO2 pollution maps, the problem is pretty contained within cities, so driving it far from urban centres has a lot less of an impact. As for climate change effect, it has a similar effect to the average contemporary hybrid cars per the study, and the fact that I bought it used means I’m not stimulating the production of new cars, which produces a ton of emissions, instead I’m spending my money locally fixing the car, which is arguably more sustainable than buying new ones with similar fuel consumption.