Noticias ALEJANDRO Posted May 13, 2024 Posted May 13, 2024 Plug-in hybrids, seen as a transitional technology on the path to total electrification, have regained momentum this year, coinciding with the lower growth in electric sales, which in the first quarter of the year remained at 12% of the market European (12.1% in the same period of 2023). Plug-in hybrids remain at 7.4%, according to ACEA figures, but a year ago they were only 7.2%. Manufacturers depend on plug-ins to meet their CO2 emissions targets. And they increasingly have longer electric ranges, as we can see in models such as the renewed Volkswagen Tiguan or Cupra Formentor, which already exceed 100 km of electric range... figures until now reserved for premium manufacturers, since the need to include batteries and Separate combustion car transmissions kept costs high. Faced with a hesitant market, brands such as BMW and Audi are decisively betting on electric vehicles, "but if waves or fluctuations occur in the transition, we can react to them," as Audi CEO Gernot Dollner pointed out last week. And Ola Kallenius, CEO of Mercedes, gave his opinion at the end of last month: "We believe that plug-in hybrids will remain relevant for many years." Volvo also renews its portfolio of this type of vehicles. We talk about premium brands because their products are the best sellers. In 2023, the best-selling PHEV in Europe was the Ford Kuga... but in 2024, the Volvo But are not the only ones. BYD, which only had electric vehicles in its European range, will have a PHEV version of the BYD Seal U in a few months. And Ford has already indicated that if they see a strong demand for plug-in hybrids, they will sell them... since the current demand for electric vehicles does not match the expectations that the brand had and implies changing the strategy. Some handicaps of plug-in hybrids Many consumers opt for a plug-in hybrid as the first step towards total electrification… and the next car they buy is a fully electric car. We are not saying it, the commercial director of Volvo Cars, Bjorn Annwall, said it in an interview. One of the problems with these cars is having two propulsion systems... which will always result in an expensive product. Its emissions were also questioned, which are much higher in the real world... although the user is to blame there, not the technology. In any case, the European Union has begun to monitor plug-in hybrids with on-board diagnostics... and is expected to review its approval requirements in the coming years. We agree 100% on this: approved consumption figures do not serve consumers. Click
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