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A European study denounces the “environmental disaster” of hybrid cars plug with carbon dioxide emissions above what is legally declared and the environmental association Zero calls for an end to tax benefits for these vehicles.
In a statement released this Monday, Zero reveals the conclusions of a study by the European Federation for Transport and Environment, to which it belongs, and according to which this type of vehicle (PHEV) registers real emissions that can be almost double what was announced, based on tests “in real conditions” of use carried out on the three best-selling models in Europe in 2019: a BMW X5 (the PHEV available in the market with greater autonomy), a Volvo XC60 and a Mitsubishi Forastero.
“The study concluded that, even under optimal test conditions, in which vehicles are used in the most moderate way and with fully charged batteries, their emissions are between 28% and 89% higher than those registered in the tests. If they are used in conventional mode, that is, using the combustion engine exclusively, these cars emit three to eight times more CO2. [dióxido de carbono] than the tests indicate, “says Zero’s statement.
The environmental association adds that “if the combustion engine is used additionally to charge the batteries – something common before drivers enter low-emission urban areas – emissions, of CO2 and in general of pollutants with direct harmful effects on health, exceed up to 12 times those officially announced ”.
The tests found levels of autonomy in electric mode lower than those announced, the lowest case corresponding to “just 11 kilometers”, in addition to concluding that in real conditions of use “the use of the combustion engine is constant”, which means that “these cars only comply with what is announced in the catalogs on very short trips; for example, on a 100-kilometer trip, they emit up to approximately double the official value ”.
For Zero, the tests that officially regulate the level of emissions of these vehicles have the problem of being based on “the excessively optimistic assumption of the share of use in electric mode, that is, the factor of electric use, resulting in CO2 values unrealistically low”. .
For this reason, forecasts more in line with the actual use of electricity would place emission levels at “official figures 50% -230% higher than those in force”.
The environmental association refers to the increase in sales of PHEV cars in Europe, with half a million units sold in 2020, and in Portugal 8,300 cars were sold until October, “practically double what was sold in the same period of 2019”. The new limits in force in the European Union force manufacturers to sell low-emission cars.
The premise of the study released this Monday was precisely to understand if the announced emissions corresponded to a reduction to a third of that of equivalent conventional cars, as announced by the manufacturers, or if “they are a trick to comply with legal requirements.”
Based on the results, Zero calls for the end of tax benefits and subsidies for the purchase of these vehicles, stating that they are estimated at more than 43 million euros by 2020 in Portugal.
“This is a value that is being disrupted in the support of polluting technology and that, therefore, Zero recommends, should be channeled without delay towards truly green technologies”, defends the association.
Zero believes that this support should be reserved for 100% electric cars, recommending that in a transitional phase support and access to subsidies be granted for vehicles with a minimum range of 60 kilometers and “proven access” to charging points.
The reduction in Vehicle Tax is expected to drop from 75% to 25% and companies should only be able to recover half of the Value Added Tax (VAT) and not all, as currently.
At the European level, Zero asks that “super credits” are no longer attributed to the sale of PHEV cars and that the tests be based on real conditions of use. It also suggests that the European Commission should legislate for actual emissions to be calculated, calculated based on usage recorded in the vehicle’s on-board computer.
