There was a time when fleet managers and companies preferred diesel to avoid taxes. Diesel became persona non grata for several years plug-in hybrid models have attracted interest from professionals due to their tax advantagesgot through an approval process which is surprising to say the least when we know technically how a plug-in hybrid car works and the surprisingly “flexible” legislation for this type of vehicle.
Thus, in recent years we have seen the emergence of substantial SUVs, sometimes dominated by large V8s, completely exempt from the penalty thanks to the battery and electric motor. These items are definitely important as they allow these wheel anvils to display CO approval ratings2 unattainable with the most efficient heat engines on the market.
Limitations of the WLTP standard for plug-in hybrids
The WLTP standard, which entered into force in 2019 and replaced the old NEDC standard, should better reflect the real conditions of car use. As for the plug-in hybrid models, they have four different driving cycles of low, medium, high and very high speed, first with a fully charged battery, then with a discharged one.
But, technically, most of these models always retain enough electrons even when fully discharged to get at least some extra momentum, especially for the acceleration phases.
Therefore, most of the tests are carried out in electric mode with zero exhaust emissions (including CO2) and the g/km figures as well as the combined cycle consumption are very low, especially those with large heat engines, since in most cases they equipped with large batteries.
This approval cycle still shows results that are far from what a motorist can get in daily driving, especially if they don’t recharge the battery often. In other words, if the battery is regularly charged, there is indeed some truth to these tests, on the other hand, if the battery is never charged, in this case CO emissions2 largely underestimated.
Ten PHEVs that emit the least CO2
As you can see, half of the models in this Top 10 are SUVs, and the other half are sedans. Mercedes scores highly, in particular thanks to the optimized hybrid powertrain, in the case of the latest models such as the GLC or C-Class, electric range that can exceed 100 km thanks to capacious batteries (from 25 to 35 kWh, depending on the model).
- Mercedes GLC: 10 g/km
- Toyota Prius: 11 g/km
- Mercedes C-Class: 11 g/km
- Mercedes E-Class: 12 g/km
- Mercedes S-Class: 13 g/km
- BMW X1: 16 g/km
- Range Rover: 16 g/km
- Range Rover Sport: 16 g/km
- Volvo S60: 16 g/km
- Mercedes GLE: 15 g/km
On the other hand, after discharging, the heat engine kicks in, and these cars even tend to consume much more than the equivalent heat model due to the weight of the electric motor and the (empty) battery that needs to be transported. .
Some voices have already been raised against these models, particularly over the phasing in of the weight penalty, even though the government recently confirmed a 100kg reduction for PHEVs from next year. A discount that we recently covered for you on Auto Plus, but which should hurt fleet managers and dealers in particular.
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Source: Auto Plus
Robert is an experienced journalist who has been covering the automobile industry for over a decade. He has a deep understanding of the latest technologies and trends in the industry and is known for his thorough and in-depth reporting.