Biggest study yet shows plug-in hybrids use over 300% more fuel than claimed

>The largest real-world study yet, accounting for nearly a million plug-in hybrid vehicles, shows that PEVs use far more gasoline than previously claimed. The study comes just as Europe is about to change PHEV regulations, with industry lobbying to maintain the current highly inaccurate numbers.

>There are a lot of different types of electric vehicles out there, enough to confuse even those who follow the industry. BEV, FCEV, EREV, PHEV, and so on.
We here at Electrek tend to prefer and report on battery electric vehicles, sometimes referred to as “all-electric.”

>But another option, favored by some, are plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), vehicles with both an internal combustion and electric powertrain existing side by side in the same car. These can either run off of a battery or a gas engine, theoretically adding flexibility and covering for the weaknesses of each powertrain.

>Unlike conventional hybrids which get 100% of their energy from gasoline, plug-in hybrids can get some of their energy from the electric grid, which can be produced with more economical and low-carbon methods, like hydropower, wind, or even rooftop solar, allowing owners to become self-sufficient and create their own fuel.

>Combustion engine manufacturers also like PHEVs because it means they get to keep selling engines – an incredibly complex piece of machinery that has been refined over the last century, leaving those with the intellectual property necessary to build one loathe to surrender their long-held trade secrets.

>The problem with PHEVs is that, despite them being thought of as a futuristic technology, they still rely on the same-old polluting engines that combustion cars rely on. In theory they can and should be driven on electric power most of the time, since the fuel is cheaper and the cars produce lower emissions when doing so, but it turns out that doesn’t happen nearly as much as automakers claim it will.

>We’ve seen several studies before that show plug-in hybrids use more gasoline and produce more emissions than claimed. These studies have mostly suggested that PHEVs simply don’t get plugged in as much as they should, and thus can be indistinguishable from gas-powered conventional hybrids in operation.

>But a new study by the Fraunhofer Institute shows that in average operation, PHEVs on average use more than 3x as much fuel as government estimates suggest – and they even use more fossil fuels in electric power mode than previously claimed.

No shit, Sherlock!