ElectriLIED
Demystifying hybrid and electric car advertising
An exhausting problem
Confused about hybrid and electric vehicles? You’re not alone, and carmakers’ ads make it worse. Misleading messaging makes hybrid cars appear equally green as electric vehicles (EVs) with confusing phrases like “self-charging” and “PHEV”.
In reality, hybrids (including plug-in hybrids) still have sky-high emissions. Only battery and fuel cell EVs emit no exhaust emissions. So how do you tell the difference? There is a simple distinction: if it has a tailpipe, it pollutes.
Rules for ads must recognize this truth to help people make decisions about what car to buy. Read on for more about our efforts to drive these necessary changes.
Misleading advertising
See examples of misleading hybrid car advertising from major carmakers.
The problems with ad rules
Ad regulation has fallen behind in the age of electric and hybrid industry cars.
The problem with hybrids
Hybrids offer limited emissions savings compared to petrol and diesel cars.
A simple solution
We can make a change. Stronger rules for electric and hybrid vehicle advertising would favour the public.
Ad regulators in the UK can take three easy steps to cut the confusion:
1. Cut the jargon
Put an immediate stop to the use of confusing and meaningless terms like “HEV” and “self-charging hybrid” without due explanation as to the vehicle’s true fuel source.
The ad regulator must issue clear guidance on terminology and what kinds of technical terms are permissible in advertising without further qualifying detail.
2. Clarity on emissions
Use of the term “zero exhaust emission vehicle” (or an equivalent) should be clarified in guidance to make clear that it is useful in differentiating between different powertrains and their respective environmental impacts so long as it is properly qualified as referring to the operation of the car and not its full lifecycle emissions.
Guidance to advertisers should be updated to stipulate that adverts for hybrids and PHEVs must carry clear information about the fact that they remain solely or predominantly powered by fossil fuels and that their emissions savings are limited.
3. End greenwash
Tighten regulation so that adverts cannot mislead, exaggerate, omit nor misrepresent material information regarding lower emissions in relation to battery EVs or other zero exhaust emission vehicles.
Forward looking claims should be qualified by statements making clear, for instance, a carmakers’ total emissions and/or continued investment in fossil fuel powered vehicles.
Take action
We’ve written to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) – the UK’s ad regulatory bodies – with our recommendations for change.
You can help! Take action now to help stop further greenwash by writing to the CMA using our template letter.
Write to the ad regulators to call for change
Support this campaign to change how electric and hybrid vehicle advertising is regulated in the UK.
Using our template letter takes just 5 minutes and lets the CMA know that this issue matters.
Read the full complaint
Read Adfree Cities’ full submission to the CMA and ASA.
“The switch to EVs is the largest single driver of future emissions reduction in the UK’s Net Zero pathway”.
ElectriLIED 