VDA calls for charging obligation for plug-in hybrids

The unused charging cable in the trunk of the plug-in hybrid car (PHEV) has been proverbial for years. Now, evidence is mounting that this is not an unfounded exaggeration. PHEVs apparently exceed their CO₂ emission values so drastically that the automotive industry must worry about the continued existence of the hybrid form, popular with customers, combining electric and conventional cars. After current real-world operating surveys have shown how far their presumed environmental advantages are missed, the German automotive industry association VDA is now reacting with a proposal. They want to encourage drivers to cover longer distances electrically through technical solutions.

Plug-in hybrids emit drastically too much

According to findings from the non-governmental organization “Transport and Environment” (T&E) and the European Environment Agency EEA, these vehicles emit around five times the amount of carbon dioxide they were homologated for. This is many times the overruns typically seen for internal combustion engines in real-world operation, which usually deviate from the test bench value by only a few percent. Measurement has only been possible since manufacturers were required to record consumption individually for each vehicle. T&E was therefore able to rely on real driving data from 127,000 cars, a sample of unprecedented size.

The fact that PHEVs were assessed too positively in the calculation of their CO₂ reduction has long been considered a fact by the EU, and deadlines for tightening the rules have therefore long been set. For example, next year the so-called utility factor for the calculation of CO₂ fleet emissions will be tightened. Accordingly, the basis for calculating CO₂ emissions will require significantly greater electric range in two stages. From the beginning of 2026, it will have to increase to around two to three times the current value for new vehicles and to four times the current value in 2027. At least as alarming for manufacturers is the prospect of replacing the CO₂ emissions, which have so far only been determined on the test bench, with a more realistic classification. This threatens to put the hard-won fleet consumption unreachable, with significantly higher costs for the stricter targets and penalties costing billions in case of non-compliance.

Loopholes for the automotive industry

So far, the lenient treatment of such cars has been a loophole for the automotive industry, allowing them to continue selling a large number of combustion engine vehicles. In Germany, PHEVs used as company cars with certain performance characteristics are even tax-subsidized up to a certain price limit. The short-term success of PHEVs is largely not due to technical advantages over electric cars, but rather explainable by targeted incentives. New registrations of PHEVs in Germany increased by 64 percent from January to September, and in Europe, year-on-year for August, there was over 54 percent growth, while cars with combustion engines recorded double-digit declines nationwide and across the EU. For the automotive industry, battered by the powertrain transition, plug-in hybrids are currently the fattest cash cow.

Specifically, the VDA surprisingly suggests that these cars should be designed “so that regular charging is mandatory.” This could be enforced by reduced power output, requiring the battery to be charged at least once “within a driving distance to be determined.”

(fpi)