EDIT clarifications:
- the article is from the European Commission. This thing comes from a serious study based on hard facts and data.
- Check this comment by @wooster@startrek.website, who reported the data.
- Note that plugin hybrids are still better than pure ice, but they were expected to be much better.
It’s not a typo: plug-in hybrids are used, in real word cases, with ICE much more than anticipated.
In the EU, fuel consumption monitoring devices are required on new cars. They studied over 10% of all cars sold in 2021 and turns out they use way more fuel, and generate way more CO2, than anybody thought.
The gap means that CO2 emissions reduction objectives from transport will be more difficult to reach.
Thruth is, we need less cars, not “better” cars.
8 billion people. Every product made creates emissions. So the question here isn’t whether fewer cars will lower emissions, but whether whatever replaces them will cover the needs of 8 billion people without increasing emissions as much as cars do or more.
We created that thing already. Its called actvive transport and transit. Walking and cycling are nearly emissions free. Transit is still far more effecient than private cars. We just need to build a society that prioritizes these as much or more than cars.
The change has helped the areas in which it was implemented. However, in part, it has also shifted the traffic into other areas instead. It does work, but not fully. To change society and pursue it wholeheartedly, profit must be removed as an incentive or at least make it inconsequential. Otherwise this consumption/production treadmill will never stop speeding up until it breaks.