Are hybrid cars the answer?
A BMW X5. This one consumes lots of petrol. So does the hybrid.
When we first set out to do CarefreeCarfree, we posted on our local Facebook group asking what topics people would like us to cover.
One thing we got back was that a lot of the reasons people wanted to cut down on their car use was because of climate change, and a number of people wondered if moving to electric or hybrid vehicles was the solution.
Well, obviously, we’re CarefreeCarfree, so we’re all about car-free journeys. But clearly a vehicle that emits less must be a good thing.
But it’s also good not to be too over-excited about the difference a hybrid vehicle can make. Both electric and hybrid vehicles need to be manufactured and disposed of, which both have big carbon impacts. They also require batteries, which are carbon intensive to produce and require rare metals.
But the other thing is that hybrid vehicles, in particular, may consume a lot more fuel than the manufacturers suggest.
The magazine Which? did their own fuel-efficiency tests of various hybrid models, and compared actual fuel use to the manufacturers’ promises. They found the worst was 72% less fuel efficient than promised, and even the best was 39% worse. On average, hybrid cars were 61% less fuel efficient than promised.
The worst offender was the BMW X5 plug-in hybrid. According to BMW, this model could cover 188.3 miles per gallon, but Which? tests found it could only cover 52.8 miles per gallon.
Turns out that Uber drivers were right all along; the Toyota Prius was the best. Toyota claims the mpg is 188.3 miles, however Which? tests found it is 114.4.
Clearly every drop of petrol not burned is a few molecules of carbon dioxide not put into the atmosphere, but hybrid and electric vehicles still have a carbon footprint. They also contribute to congestion and take streets away from people.
So, as a car-free family ourselves, we’ve not convinced ourselves yet that hybrid is the answer.
