Plug-in hybrids: Greens want premium only for electric use

The Green Party politician and chairman of the Bundestag's transport committee, Cem Özdemir, has warned of a misguided development in the debate on the climate contribution of plug-in hybrid vehicles and suggested that part of the premium should be paid only after the first major inspection. At that point, the on-board computer could be read to determine how often the vehicles were actually used in electric mode, and only if that was largely the case should further money be paid. Özdemir fundamentally sees a double opportunity in the plug-in hybrid drive, both for the environment and for the industry, due to the higher complexity of the vehicles.

However, he said, for this we very quickly need "reasonable hybrids with an all-electric range of at least 80 kilometers." Following the most recent auto summit, there are plans to restrict the incentives but mandate a minimum range of 60 kilometers starting in 2022 and 80 kilometers starting in 2025. Currently, only 2.5 percent of the registered PHEVs achieve the 80-kilometer range, according to a response to a query Özdemir made to the Federal Ministry of Transport. Between January and September of this year, 105,882 plug-in hybrids were registered, a dramatic increase from the 45,348 in the previous year.

"When I look at the numbers, I feel like we could just as well have put a few batteries in the glove compartment of the cars," the politician criticized.

In his view, what we are experiencing is a shocking repetition of the "false friendship" between the federal government and the foot-draggers in the automotive industry who already landed us in the emissions scandal," Özdemir became even more pointed. In an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, he referred to the fact that many PHEVs are also SUVs as a case of "state-subsidized climate fraud." However, the smaller opposition party FDP also warns of a "mislabeling" in PHEVs.

VDA: Need More Time for Analysis

The German Association of the Automotive Industry did not entirely dismiss Özdemir's idea. However, they requested more time to compile reliable data on the use of PHEV vehicles. They also view driving restrictions critically and point to the inadequate charging infrastructure situation. VDA President Hildegard Müller generally sees PHEVs as "the best of both worlds" and recently stated that the vehicles could "make an important contribution to effective climate protection." Therefore, she argued, the incentives should also continue.

Initial Studies: Alarmingly Low E-Share

However, recent studies indicate that the charging option is utilized too infrequently by both private and commercial PHEV drivers. According to an analysis by the Fraunhofer Institute and the International Council on Clean Transportation, private PHEV users draw electric power on only three out of four days and achieve only 43 percent electric driving performance. This results in CO2 emissions that are twice as high as the official figures. For company cars, the situation is even worse: They emit four times the CO2 of the manufacturer's specifications because they only cover 18 percent of their routes electrically. The National Platform Future of Mobility had developed recommendations on the usage rate of plug-in hybrids in a well-founded report, and believes that an electric share of at least 50 percent is necessary for a CO2 reduction contribution.