In 15 years all new cars sold will be hybrids, says chairman
IFP Energies Nouvelles chairman predicted the rise of hybrid cars at the WEC Congress
Within 15 years, all new cars sold will be hybrids, predicted Olivier Appert, the chairman of IFP Energies Nouvelles. Speaking at the panel session, Future of Transport: Decarbonising Growth, at the WEC 2013 yesterday, Appert said that hybrids could be 35% more efficient than petrol-powered cars and 20% more efficient than diesels. “There are many types of hybrid. The most simple is your engine stops when you stop and it restarts automatically when you move off. Then you go up to more complex rechargeable hybrid cars. My guess is that in 15 years from now all cars sold will somehow be hybrid,” he said. Hybrid technology is relatively new and there was great scope for innovation, he said. The
Also in this section
5 March 2026
Gas is a central pillar of Colombia’s energy system, but declining production poses a significant challenge, and LNG will be increasingly needed as a stopgap. A recent major offshore gas discovery offers hope, but policy improvements are also required, Camilo Morales, secretary general of Naturgas, the Colombian gas association, tells Petroleum Economist
4 March 2026
The continent’s inventories were already depleted before conflict erupted in the Middle East, causing prices to spike ahead of the crucial summer refilling season
4 March 2026
The US president has repeatedly promised to lower gasoline prices, but this ambition conflicts with his parallel aim to increase drilling and could be upended by his war against Iran
4 March 2026
With the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed following US-Israel strikes and Iran’s retaliatory escalation, Fujairah has become the region’s critical pressure release valve—and is now under serious threat






