New research commissioned by Mitsubishi in Australia has revealed the habits of drivers with plug-in hybrid cars.
Although the Japanese company no longer sells cars in the United Kingdom, its research provides an interesting insight into the ownership experience for plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs).
In particular, the independent study of 800 Australian PHEV owners discovered that they made use of full-electric mode up to 81 percent of the time when driving.
The survey comes as Mitsubishi now accounts for 43 percent of the growing plug-in hybrid market in Australia.
The petrol safety blanket
The survey covered owners of both the latest, fourth-generation Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and the Eclipse Cross PHEV.
It found that Outlander PHEV drivers made frequent use of their SUV’s 18kWh battery, spending an impressive 81 percent of their time in electric mode. Those with the smaller Eclipse Cross PHEV still avoided using the internal combustion engine for 75 percent of journeys.
This is substantially more EV driving than European owners of plug-in hybrid models. Real-world data shows PHEV drivers in Europe use battery-only mode around 45 to 49 percent of the time.
Mitsubishi’s survey suggests that Australian PHEV owners are therefore using plug-in hybrids as short-range electric vehicles, but with a reassuring lack of range anxiety.
A gateway to going electric
Feedback from owners confirmed that worries about a lack of charging infrastructure made them view plug-in hybrid models as a ‘stepping stone’ to full EV ownership in the future.
More than half of Mitsubishi PHEV owners reported charging their car every day, with 96 percent having access to a home charger.
Some 58 percent of Outlander PHEV owners, along with 63 percent of Eclipse Cross PHEV owners, said they actively adjust regenerative braking levels to boost their car’s electric range.
In the UK, recent sales figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show plug-in hybrids taking 8.1 percent of new car sales for 2024 to date, compared to fully electric cars on 17.2 percent.
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