The plug-in hybrid vehicle, or PHEV, is only a short-term answer to the electrification of the automobile. If you’re looking to buy a car and you’re going to stick with the same vehicle for a few years, it’s best not to go with a plug-in hybrid. Although they advertise very good consumption figures, only 1.5 or 2 liters per 100 km, the reality is that this figure is a trick and they are very inefficient.
The reason is that they have the mechanics of a gasoline or diesel vehicle and its fuel tank, but also a powerful electric motor, capable of moving the vehicle on its own and with a large enough battery, to offer an electric range of at least less 50 km. This must be at least 12 or 15 kWh and therefore very heavy and also expensive. Only if you are going to buy your car by leasing, in a three or four-year operation, it may be worth doing this intermediate operation now or if you absolutely need to have a car with a “0 emissions” label.
The automotive sector is experiencing a complete revolution with electrification. In just a few years they have gone from making and selling diesel and gasoline cars to doing it with pure electric cars, and we are at a difficult time in this transition. There is still not a sufficient charging infrastructure, especially in Spain, and they do not allow long journeys easily. They are also more expensive, because the cost of batteries is currently very high.
In addition, the electric car has a fundamental problem and that is its autonomy. If it has little autonomy, it can be uninteresting to cover all our needs. And if it is a vehicle with more autonomy, this is achieved for the moment by putting a very large battery, up to 100 kWh in some cases, which means increasing the weight of the vehicle by almost 800 kg.
very heavy battery
For this reason, for those who want an electric car for use but need more autonomy and do not want to carry the weight of that additional battery and its extra cost, the intermediate option of the plug-in hybrid emerged. Basically, it is a system similar to that of a self-recharging hybrid, like the Toyota for example, but with a more powerful electric motor and, above all, a larger battery. It is a mobility alternative with a “0 emissions” label and one more option on the market. But the question is, is it really worth buying a plug-in hybrid car now? We will try to answer this question.
This is a complicated subject, and each one has its particular case. There are people who need, yes or yes, a car with the “0 emissions” label and this option and the electric one are the only ones that can have said label. Also that of hydrogen, but it is something in the longer term. But already some car brands, such as Peugeot, have an indication visible from outside the car that indicates when the plug-in hybrid car is really running in electric-only mode. Therefore, buying a plug-in hybrid if you do not have a charging point would be worth very little for day to day. But above all, paying more for a large battery and for an additional electric motor, with its weight, by the label does not seem very reasonable in most cases.
In its favor it has a very important advantage, and that is that we will have the same car for every day of the year regardless of the plan we have each day. Both to go around the city, through low emission zones, and to travel on the road at a higher speed regardless of the distance to be covered. And that is a very important point right now.
Hybrid or electric?
Before considering purchasing one of these vehicles, it is worth analyzing its consumption. When we see the approval file for a good plug-in hybrid, we will see a consumption of 2 liters per 100 km, and even less. But it is false, like many of the things that the European Union does around the automobile and its approvals. Those 2 liters means that the car starts driving with the battery fully charged and that it only does 100 km in total. Therefore, if the approved electric autonomy is 70 km, it only does 30 km with the gasoline engine and that is the consumption.
In other words, if we buy an electric car and think about those 2 liters of consumption, we will be surprised when the first day we go out on the road we see the consumption figure of 7, 8 or even more liters of consumption, like minimum.
There are many technological options on the market and each one must adapt to the one that best suits their use. I believe that with the way things are going at the moment, the smartest option is a hybrid vehicle, a good hybrid with aurorrechargeable. They get good consumption figures, they are quite efficient and their cost is very reasonable. Toyota is the great specialist in this technology, thanks to more than 25 years of experience with hybridization, but other brands such as the Hyundai group, Honda or some premium manufacturers are making very good hybrids.
But if you really need, due to your specific needs, to acquire a plug-in hybrid, I think the best option is to do it in a three or four-year lease operation. In 2026 there will be brands that will no longer sell more than electric cars, as is the case with Volvo, and others will only launch their new cars as 100% electric models by then, as DS and Peugeot have announced, among others.
So, the charging infrastructure should be much better, the cost of the batteries will be much lower and their energy density will most likely be double that of current batteries… I am now going to buy a self-recharging hybrid and within four years, when the leasing operation is complete, I will buy an electric one. That’s my personal advice to a normal customer.
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