LowCVP to focus on maximising PHEV ‘electric miles’
Sat 28 November 2020
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With the ‘Ten Point Plan’ announcement that hybrid cars and vans with ‘significant zero carbon emissions operating range’ will be sold until 2035, the role of the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) is squarely in the spotlight.
‘Real world’ operating emissions tests of the vehicles have demonstrated that while PHEVs have the potential to significantly reduce CO2 emissions, they do not always realise that potential and – under the most unsuitable operating conditions – do not contribute to road transport decarbonisation.
We at LowCVP can draw on personal experience to highlight the variability in PHEVs’ performance, with one of us achieving a long-term average of 258mpg in the real world from a vehicle certified at only 242mpg under NEDC test conditions and another finding the ICE engine in his PHEV coming on at every touch of the heater controls. There is no doubt that even with regular charging and almost optimal use patterns the experience can be very different.
Now that the decision has been made that PHEVs will be a feature (and likely more prominent) of on Britain’s roads for the next 25 years or more (with sales ending in 2035), we need to make sure that their potential for contributing to the ‘drive for zero’ is maximised.
So how can the technology be optimised, the policies be appropriate and the customers be educated, to deliver the promise of the PHEV – this is what the LowCVP aims to establish with this new project, providing as always a balanced and informed view on what is rapidly becoming a hot topic.
If your organisation is a member and would like to get involved in this project, please email the LowCVP Secretariat. If you are a non-member but would like to be involved, consider joining the Partnership.
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