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Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles release almost five times greater global warming pollution than lab-reported figures show, as per a recent analysis.

Growing Discrepancy In Official and Actual CO2 Output

Data reveals that PHEVs release only 19% less CO₂ than conventional gas and diesel cars, according to analysis carried out by a advocacy organization. That contrasts sharply with laboratory estimates, which suggested a 75% decrease in emissions.

Analysts studied information from in-vehicle energy use monitors of eight hundred thousand vehicles sold in the EU between 2021 and 2023. The team found that real-world CO₂ emissions from PHEVs in 2023 were nearly five times higher than lab estimates, up from three and a half times in 2021.

“Actual emissions are rising, while official emissions are decreasing,” stated a senior analyst involved in the report. “That discrepancy is widening and creates a serious issue. Consequently, PHEVs pollute nearly as heavily as petrol vehicles.”

Primary Factors Driving the Emissions Gap

Researchers attributed most of the gap to overestimates of the “utility factor” – the percentage of kilometers travelled in electric mode compared to total distance. The team determined that just 27% of driving was done in electric mode, whereas lab assumptions suggested 84%.

Even, when running in electric mode, pollution levels were significantly higher than official projections. That occurred because EV motors were not strong sufficient to function independently, leading to combustion motors burning gasoline for almost a third of the distance covered in electric mode.

Policy and Financial Implications

Based on estimates, the underestimation of PHEV emissions allowed four major automaker groups to escape more than €5bn in fines between 2021 and 2023, by falsely easing compliance with European Union average fleet CO₂ standards.

Additionally, drivers of PHEVs would spend about €500 more per year in operating costs than would be estimated under lab conditions.

“The bold statements that manufacturers like to make about their PHEV vehicles are obviously far from the truth,” stated a transport analyst. “Buyers are being misled into believing that by buying a PHEV, they are helping the environment and cutting money. Actually, PHEVs are little better than standard gas and diesel cars in terms of fuel use, CO₂ production, and running costs.”

Political Discussion and Automotive Lobbying

Plug-in hybrid cars have lately been drawn back into political debates as carmakers have lobbied the EU to relax CO₂ standards. A planned prohibition on sales of new internal combustion cars in 2035 has faced heavy lobbying from the car sector and resistance from member states with significant car manufacturing.

Some senior officials have proposed PHEVs as a potential “compromise” solution to introduce in the legislation.

One independent energy policy expert, who was unaffiliated with the research, called the analysis a “highly valuable contribution” after years in which segments of the car sector argued there was insufficient data to properly evaluate real-world emissions.

“The results show, without question, that the gap in official and real-world PHEV fuel consumption and CO₂ output is much, much greater than for petrol or diesel cars,” the expert stated. “Any policy adjustments concerning PHEVs should be implemented with extreme caution and considering this data.”