are plug-in hybrid models on borrowed time?

On paper, plug-in hybrids (PHEV) combine the best of both worlds: this technology allows you to drive electric during the week while the combustion engine is used for long journeys. However, between theory and practice, there is a world of difference, because few users take the trouble to recharge the battery, whether at home, due to lack of means of recharging, or at the office.

As a result, the consumption of these vehicles is soaring and is light years away from those approved by the WLTP protocol. (read box). According to Brussels, which looked into the subject last spring, actual consumption is 3.5 times higher than approved, which corresponds, on average, to a difference of more than 4 l/100 km while emissions of CO₂ easily exceed 100 g/km.

Also read
Less expensive than electric vehicles, non-rechargeable hybrid cars win the day

“These vehicles are not using their full potential mainly because they are not…