Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) generally produce lower tailpipe emissions than conventional gasoline vehicles, but their emissions compared to hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) vary depending on electricity sources, driving patterns, and regional factors.
Emissions Comparison Between PHEVs and HEVs
- Both PHEVs and HEVs typically have lower tailpipe emissions than conventional gasoline cars because they utilize electric motors alongside combustion engines.
- PHEVs can operate in full electric mode for a portion of driving, leading to reduced tailpipe emissions when running on electricity. However, when the battery is depleted, PHEVs switch to gasoline, producing tailpipe emissions similar to HEVs or conventional cars.
- The proportion of kilometers driven on electric power in PHEVs varies widely in real-world usage, resulting in 15% to 55% less tailpipe CO2 emissions compared to conventional vehicles. This implies PHEVs’ total emissions depend strongly on charging frequency and driving patterns.
- Life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for PHEVs are on average about 34% lower than those of gasoline vehicles, but this varies significantly, influenced by electricity generation mix and vehicle usage.
Influence of Regional Electricity Sources
- The emissions benefit of PHEVs over HEVs is higher in regions where electricity is generated from low-carbon sources (e.g., hydropower, wind, solar). This allows PHEVs to run more miles on cleaner electric power, reducing emissions further.
- In regions with carbon-intensive electricity grids (e.g., coal-heavy power generation), the advantage of PHEVs over HEVs diminishes because the emissions associated with electricity generation for charging are higher.
Summary
| Aspect | PHEVs | HEVs |
|---|---|---|
| Tailpipe emissions | Lower when on electric mode; emits when using gas | Lower than conventional cars; always emits |
| Emissions variability | High, depends on electric driving share | More consistent, always hybrid operation |
| Benefit by region | Greater in regions with cleaner electricity | Less dependent on electricity grid |
| Life-cycle GHG emissions | ~34% lower than gasoline cars on average | Lower than gasoline cars but generally higher than PHEVs in clean-grid areas |
In conclusion, PHEVs tend to offer greater emissions reductions than HEVs in regions with low-carbon electricity due to their ability to run on electric power for significant distances, but their comparative emissions advantage depends heavily on how much and where they are driven and charged.
Original article by NenPower, If reposted, please credit the source: https://nenpower.com/blog/how-do-phevs-compare-to-hevs-in-terms-of-emissions-in-different-regions/
