The sales pitch had been that motorists could use “clean” battery power for city jaunts and dirty petrol for longer trips. This promised sustainable travel without the anxiety of a limited range. But real‑world tests, by the European non-profit Transport and Environment, show that PHEVs emit just 19% less carbon dioxide than petrol and diesel cars – far short of the 75% claimed in the lab.
Europe is a battleground between climate necessity, commercial reality and political clout. Four big European automotive companies avoided more than €5bn in fines because emissions compliance was not judged on real-world data. Switching to electric cars seems an obvious step. Yet former Renault boss Luca de Meo said earlier this year that EVs won’t be the dominant technology in Europe for two decades. It’s not just a lack of buyers or engineering nous holding back EVs. It’s that Europe’s carmakers are keeping profits rolling in by squeezing cash from hybrids and petrol cars.
But isn’t this incredibly obvious? If all you do is swap out one good for another, then you’re throwing away the biggest tool, which is to change how people behave. And if people are already buying cars that are more environmentally friendly, then maybe they might also want to buy smaller cars, which are also more environmentally friendly. Or maybe we should invest in more public transport because that’s going to be much, much more environmentally friendly.
Which is a long way of saying that electric vehicles are the second worst option, and we all already knew that, right?