Surprise: Hybrids reduce pollution almost as much as electric cars

Research from the German VDI Institute of Automotive Engineers gives surprising ratings to plug-in vehicles (chargeable hybrids) in their ability to reduce air pollution, which is very close to that of electric cars and much better than gasoline and diesel vehicles. And the big advantage: hybrid vehicles significantly reduce air pollution almost from the moment they hit the road, while electric cars still carry a large "penalty" in the form of pollution emitted during the production of their battery.

The research examined how many tons of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) a vehicle emits over its average lifespan of 200,000 km, according to the researchers' estimates. Electric, plug-in, gasoline, and diesel vehicles were tested, all based on data from a compact family car with the same propulsion system.

"The assessment of emissions during the exact lifecycle of a vehicle depends on many factors - the production site, the energy mix in the production of vehicles and components, as well as the propulsion system used on the road and the energy exploited," said Dr. Joachim Demski, the institute's president. "Electric and hybrid vehicles start with an ecological burden due to the resource-intensive production, as battery production is still almost exclusively happening in Asia today."

Demskey referred to the fact that most of the battery factories in China, the world's largest electric manufacturer, use electricity produced from polluting coal, rather than nuclear or solar energy. Therefore, an average electric car is able to balance the large amount of emissions during its production, with a low amount of emissions during driving, only after 90,000 kilometers. After 200,000 kilometers of driving, an electric car will emit 24.2 tons of CO2, compared to 24.8 tons emitted by a hybrid car. A diesel car will emit 33 tons, while a gasoline car will emit 37 tons.

Plug-in: It uses gasoline, but also has a less polluting battery. While hybrid cars do emit pollution from the exhaust because they still use gasoline, albeit in small quantities, they are equipped with a much smaller battery than electric cars, which emits much less pollution during production. Although the research examined plug-in cars and their manufacturer data, regular hybrid cars that are not charged from an outlet actually achieve similar emission data, especially on long trips when the plug-in battery is depleted, and also on short trips because their battery is significantly smaller and less polluting during production. Plug-in cars generally have a battery capacity between 12-20 kWh, while a regular hybrid car only has 1.2-2 kWh.

The researchers note that the results are not absolute and there are many variables that can influence them. An electric car in a country where its power stations are based on coal will only reach balance after 160,000 kilometers. A hybrid car whose owner does not bother to charge it - because it can still run on its gasoline engine even if not charged, and then it becomes a regular but heavier hybrid car - will pollute more.

"We need to consider the greenhouse gas emissions from production, use, and disposal in evaluating the lifecycle of batteries," says Demski. "Therefore, we need more production of batteries in Germany based on electricity from green energy, better battery recycling, and rapid expansion of electricity production from renewable energy sources."