Study: Hybrid cars use four times more fuel than advertised

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"Eco-friendly" hybrid cars regularly produce four times as much carbon dioxide as manufacturers claim, an Australian report has found on Monday.

The report, compiled by the Australian Automobile Association (AAA) with the backing of industry heavyweights, found that in real-world testing some new vehicles are using 59 percent more fuel than advertised.

One hybrid electric vehicle tested by the AAA used four times as much fuel as claimed by the manufacturer, meaning the fuel bill for owners of that vehicle model is up more than 750 US dollars than claimed in advertising.

The AAA is using the report to call on the Australian government to introduce mandatory real-world emissions testing for new cars.

"More stringent emissions laws are meant to reduce pollution and drive down fuel use, however our results suggest such benefits largely occur only in the laboratory," Michael Bradley, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the AAA, said in a statement on Monday.

A 2016 Toyota Kluger being tested by the AAA with equipment that measures fuel economy and emissions on public roads, rather than in a laboratory. /Australian Automobile Association Photo

"Australian motorists have a right to accurate information about fuel consumption and environmental performance when buying a new car."

"The current system is misleading consumers and regulators. Only real world testing can drive down costs to consumers and deliver meaningful environmental benefit."

The AAA conducted real-world tests on 30 vehicles during the 18-month, 390,000-US-dollar study but chose not to identify those that performed poorly because it would be unfair against those that were not tested.

In 2002, the difference between real-world fuel consumption and laboratory test performance was 10 percent. That figure grew to 35 percent in 2014 and is projected to be 49 percent by 2020 as manufacturers continue to better-optimize lab tests.

Australia has the worst quality fuel of 35 countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) with regular unleaded fuel containing up to 150 parts per million (ppm) of sulphur compared to the world's best fuel which the AAA said has less than 10 ppm.

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Source(s): Xinhua News Agency