The Fix For Plug-In Hybrids That Don't Get Plugged In? Smaller Gas Tanks, New Report Argues

Less gas, more electric range and faster charging could help plug-in hybrids deliver on their fuel-saving promise.

Lynk&Co 08

Photo by: Andrei Nedelea

Andrei Nedelea

By: Andrei Nedelea

Oct 18, at 10:00am ET

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T&E proposes smaller gas tanks, longer electric range, and faster charging to encourage PHEV owners to plug in.
European PHEVs registered in 2024 emitted nearly six times their official CO₂ figures, according to T&E.
More powerful electric motors let PHEVs accelerate and climb hills without needing the gas engine.

A plug-in hybrid promises electric-only driving during the week and gasoline-powered long-distance freedom on weekends. But because they can run on gas, drivers often don’t bother plugging them in, which can reduce or completely erase their emissions-cutting and fuel-saving benefits. One proposed solution is to give drivers less room for gas.

European clean transport advocacy organization Transport & Environment (T&E) wants policymakers to incentivize PHEVs with fuel tanks capped at 15 liters (around four U.S. gallons). Its latest report argues that smaller tanks would encourage owners to charge more and drive more on electric power.

T&E recommends at least 200 km (124 miles) of real-world electric range by 2030, DC charging power above 100 kilowatts, and electric motors with at least three times the combustion engine’s power. The report argues that fulfilling these criteria should make electricity the main attraction and gasoline a true backup option.

Lynk&Co 08

Photo by: Andrei Nedelea

Such vehicles already exist, and I’ve driven one. The Lynk & Co 08 has a 39.6-kWh battery and a claimed WLTP electric range of 124 miles (200 kilometers), and it mostly behaved like an EV during my time behind the wheel, even though its gasoline engine can also power the wheels directly. It showed me how well a PHEV works when electric driving comes first.

The idea is similar to the extended-range EVs heading to the U.S., but with a smaller gas tank to give owners another reason to charge. The latest data helps explain why T&E wants this change.

Its analysis of European Environment Agency data found that PHEVs registered in 2024 emitted nearly six times their official CO₂ figures, up from five times for 2023 models. Their real-world emissions were only 14% lower than those of combustion cars and conventional hybrids, despite official figures suggesting an 83% reduction.

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Pure-electric driving accounted for only 27% of distance. Engines ran during 32% of charge-depleting kilometers (when the battery supplies some or all propulsion). T&E found that PHEVs with stronger electric motors relative to their combustion engines tended to have lower real-world emissions.

More electric range helps, but the motor also needs enough power to move the car without regularly calling on the engine for assistance. I noticed this when driving the Lynk & Co 08. Even though its big battery lets you do most driving in electric mode, at sustained highway speeds, if you put your foot down to access all the performance, the car can only provide it by starting the engine.

But if the electric motors provided most of the usable power anyway, the engine would wake up much less often, even under spirited driving conditions.