Dieselgate has caused a lot of pain to the car industry, but it would also have had some benefits. Testing of car emissions became stricter, which should provide better insight into what exactly our engines are spewing into the air. However, it turns out that we are still faced with surprises in this area. The CO2 emissions of plug-in hybrids are actually 350 percent of what was observed during laboratory testing.
The European Court of Auditors calculated the differences between actual emissions and emissions from laboratory tests. During the tests, the PHEV had an average emission of 39.6 grams of CO2 per kilometer. In reality this turns out to be 139.4 grams per kilometer. To give you an idea: cars with only a combustion engine emit an average of 180.3 grams of CO2 per kilometer.
Why are the CO2 emissions of plug-in hybrids so much higher?
The audit office lists several possible factors that may play a role, such as the driver's behavior, the outside temperature, traffic and geographical altitude. The most important factor is probably the way of measuring in the lab. During the tests, the professors assumed that drivers use the electric motor more than the petrol engine.
Because the differences are so great, the European Commission decides to adjust the lab values. These new values will take effect in 2025. “The emissions from new vehicles with a combustion engine and plug-in hybrid vehicles are a point of concern,” the audit office writes. That is why there is a proposal to set a new ceiling for the 'actual emissions' for cars with a combustion engine, and therefore also hybrids. It is not known how high that ceiling should be.
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