Volkswagen has become the face of automakers who try in every possible way to circumvent the rules and regulations, even by engaging in illegal activities if necessary, but the truth is that just about every manufacturer is guilty of abusing the system. We just learned last week Hyundai and Kia have recently been implicated in the diesel fraud scandal. Several years ago, Mitsubishi admitted that it cheating on fuel economy tests for 25 years!
European manufacturers were known for using aggressive tactics to increase fuel economy† They used narrow tires and pumped them up to ridiculous pressures to reduce rolling resistance. They used special calipers that kept the pads away from the discs to reduce friction. Then they sealed the drivers inside and covered any gap between the body panels with clear tape to reduce aerodynamic drag. They turned off alternators, A/C compressors and power steering pumps. When they were done, the cars were almost impossible to drive on public roads, but they did get impressive fuel economy.
EU PHEV Regulations
A few years ago, the EU imposed new emissions rules to promote the sale of battery-electric and plug-in hybrid cars. But the automakers soon found a way to play the system (again!). Last year, Transport & Environment reported that many PHEV cars for sale in Europe almost always use their petrol engines, leading to far more emissions than claimed.
Regulators always have a problem determining what to regulate and how to do it. In theory, a plug-in hybrid has a small battery that allows it to travel about 20 miles on electric power without using the internal combustion engine. Since many drivers cover less than 20 miles a day as part of their normal routine, the cars would almost never use gas. They would plug into a regular outlet overnight and be fully charged the next day.
The Chevy Volt had a battery range of 52 miles. GM engineers were concerned that some of those cars might never use the onboard internal combustion engine (some of our readers who own a Volt report using only about 5 gallons of gasoline a year!), so they programmed the engine to run every 3 months to start just to keep all internal oily bits well lubricated.
But many of the recently sold PHEV models in Europe use the petrol engine almost constantly. Want to merge with highway traffic? The engine starts. Do you have to leave when the light turns green? Let the engine help. Do you want to keep up with traffic? The engine can help you with that.
The PHEV Clamp Down begins
This week, Transport & Environment reports that the EU has agreed to rate emissions from PHEVs based on how much they actually emit on the road. Currently, regulators assume (we all know the word “hire,” don’t we, boys and girls?) that PHEVs are powered much more in electric mode than they actually are. From 2025, the EU will significantly reduce the so-called utility factors, the share of electric vehicles that regulators use to calculate CO2 emissions from PHEVs. From 2027, plug-in hybrid usage factors will be fully aligned with how they are driven in the real world. (Translation: Manufacturers can continue to cheat the system for another 5 years.)
Anna Krajinska, emissions engineer at AT, said: “For years, plug-in hybrid emissions have been based on unrealistic driving conditions. The new rules reflect the reality that PHEVs pollute far more than automakers claim. Governments that are still encouraging the purchase of these fake electric vehicles must now stop those harmful subsidies.”
The most recent data shows that privately owned PHEVs emit on average three times more carbon dioxide — and thus consume three times more fuel — than officially recorded. It is even worse for commercial vehicles. Plug-in hybrids emit five times more than their official ratings. (Note: a plug-in hybrid is just an ordinary car with a combustion engine if you don’t plug that damn thing in!) Automakers have blamed drivers for high emissions, but in reality PHEVs are poorly made with small batteries, weak electric motors, large motors, and usually no fast-charging capability, AT say.
Anna Krajinska adds: “We welcome the end of the myth that plug-in hybrids are low-emission vehicles. Automakers will no longer be able to sell large quantities of PHEVs for the sole purpose of weakening their climate targets. If they want to avoid EU fines, they will have to sell really green cars that help reduce our oil consumption.”
The EU has also decided to review its new utility factors in 2024 based on data collected from on-board fuel economy measurements, which will provide a more comprehensive assessment of the proportion of miles driven solely on battery power. This provides the opportunity to further adjust the utility factors agreed today for 2025 and 2027.
The takeaway
It is clear that the car manufacturers have deliberately failed to educate consumers about plug-in hybrid vehicles. But it’s also clear that many consumers have willingly got carried away by manufacturers’ hype for not educating themselves. When testing a PHEV over a short distance, you should: never hear the engine. If you do, it’s a fake PHEV. Walk away. Manufacturers won’t make cars they can’t sell. It’s all well and good to ask regulators to set ground rules, but it’s up to us to be informed.
One place to start is with an article written by my colleague Jacek Fior about his Peugeot 3008 plug-in hybrid, in which he berates manufacturers for playing silly brain games with their customers. He is particularly scathing in his critique of Toyota for calling his Prius a “self-charging electric car,” a lie that is believably consistent with the “flat Earth” myth. Thanks to the wonders of the internet, which has been around for a while, you can too learn yourself online† If you choose not to do this, shame on you.
Between now and 2027, when the new EU rules come into full effect, it’s your duty to avoid PHEVs designed to cheat the system. As Nancy Reagan would say, “Just say no to fake PHEVs.”
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