Are hybrid cars more polluting than electric cars? Here’s what the study says

The debate over electric cars is very lively right now. Everyone thinks something about them. Some people see the benefits, others see the obstacles in the way. Fortunately, there are regular studies to help us understand the new world of mobility. A frequently used argument is that electric car production is so polluting that it “doesn’t matter” that an electric car emits nothing.

International Council on Clean Transportation Search Total emissions of new cars with different engines to see what was actually polluting. They looked at greenhouse gases, which also includes carbon dioxide. ICCT did a very thorough job. They looked not only at emissions during driving, but also at manufacturing, fuel production, and emissions when the car is dismantled. In short, the full cycle.

The search results are crystal clear: Electric cars are the least polluting ever (But they’re still polluting.) Hybrids are 2.2 times (in the case of sedans) or 2.5 times (in the case of SUVs) more polluting than a fully electric car. Is a plug-in hybrid the ideal candidate? No, not at all actually, because a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) is about 5 times more polluting than a comparable electric car.

Plug-in hybrids are not only more polluting than electric cars.

According to the researchers, a hybrid car is more polluting than a regular gasoline-powered car, which is 3.5 times more polluting than an electric car. The big problem is that a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) can be both very clean and very polluting. It just depends on how you implement it. If you drive short distances and charge often, the emissions aren’t so bad. If you drive much longer distances, the battery will run out very quickly and the combustion engine will have to carry an additional battery and an electric motor (compared to a gasoline-powered car).

By the way, there is still a lot of room for electric cars. The research initially considered regular electricity. In the case of green energy, the benefit of electric cars could increase even more. Just like the Olympics, the ICCT conducts this survey every four years. The difference in emissions between electric vehicles and gasoline alternatives is growing. And this gap is expected to widen.

Manufacturers can build increasingly smarter, cleaner electric vehicles. This is while the range of combustion-engine vehicles is being dramatically reduced. What’s special: The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) claims that a PHEV is the greenest car on the planet right now.