Plug-in hybrids really are that bad for the environment

Plug-in hybrids are a green choice because emissions are limited, right? Any ozone layer enthusiast driving a hybrid for this reason will now come home from a rude awakening. Researchers at TU Graz have shown that PHEVs emit significantly more than previously thought.

These are hybrids from BMW, Renault and Peugeot. Practical studies show that much more CO2 is released than the “official measurements” in laboratories show. This is a major concern for the researchers at the Austrian university.

Hybrid BMW 3 Series emits three times more than specified

The hybrid BMW 3 Series takes over the cake. According to official figures, the BMW 330e emits 36 grams of CO2 per kilometer. However, the research shows that the Bavarian car emits more than three times more emissions at 112 grams per kilometer. For comparison, that’s still half of what a G82 M3 would emit, and it’s close to the CO2 emissions of a Volkswagen Polo GTI.

Even the Renault Megane can do something about it. The French would emit 30 grams of CO2 per kilometer, but in practice this turns out to be no less than 70% more. The emissions data for the Peugeot 308 are also wrong. This PHEV pollutes 20% more than advertised.

Less all-electric range

Not only that, the Peugeot and BMW hybrids also know how to achieve their all-electric range. The BMW only achieves 75% of its purely electric range. In the Peugeot, the combustion engine starts at half the target zero emissionsArea.

It was already known that hybrids are less friendly to mother nature than previously thought. The British Consumers’ Association did this about two years ago Which? all the same discovery. Also in 2020, these painful facts surfaced in a similar study. It now appears that the newer PHEVs are still more polluting than previously thought.