Examination of Real-World Performance of Plug-In Hybrids via Public Data Sources

We reinvestigate data sources cited in previous studies about plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) in the US and compare the inferred real-world utility factors and fuel consumption to SAE J2841 standard and US-EPA ratings. In general, deviation between real-world performance and standard ratings can be due to differences in charging habits, driving habits and/or efficacy of the standards themselves. Our findings show that while some deviations exist, there is reasonably good agreement between the real-world performance of PHEVs and their theoretical expectation per US standards.