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PHEVs release almost five times more global warming emissions than lab-reported data show, as per a recent analysis.

Widening Discrepancy In Official and Real-World CO2 Output

Statistics shows that PHEVs release only 19% less CO₂ than conventional gas and diesel vehicles, according to research carried out by a advocacy group. This contrasts significantly with lab tests, which suggested a three-quarters reduction in pollution.

Researchers studied data from in-vehicle fuel consumption monitors of eight hundred thousand vehicles registered in the EU from 2021 and 2023. They discovered that actual CO₂ emissions from PHEVs in 2023 were 4.9 times higher than official estimates, increased from three and a half times in 2021.

“Actual CO2 output are rising, while official emissions are falling,” said a lead researcher involved in the study. “This gap is widening and poses a significant issue. As a result, PHEVs pollute almost as heavily as petrol vehicles.”

Primary Reasons Behind the Emissions Gap

Researchers attributed the majority of the difference to inflated estimates of the “utility factor” – the ratio of miles travelled in battery mode relative to total distance. The team determined that just 27% of travel was completed in electric mode, whereas lab assumptions suggested 84%.

Even, when running in EV mode, emission amounts were significantly higher than official estimates. This occurred because EV motors were insufficiently powerful sufficient to operate alone, leading to combustion motors burning fossil fuels for almost one-third of the distance completed in EV mode.

Policy and Economic Consequences

Based on estimates, the lowballing of PHEV emissions enabled several large automaker groups to avoid over €5bn in fines from 2021 and 2023, by falsely easing compliance with European Union fleet-average CO₂ targets.

Furthermore, drivers of PHEVs would pay about €500 extra per year in running costs than is assumed under lab tests.

“The bold statements that automakers often promote about their plug-in hybrid cars are clearly far from the mark,” stated a automotive analyst. “Buyers are being duped into believing that by buying a PHEV, they are helping the environment and saving costs. In reality, PHEVs are little improved than regular gas and diesel vehicles in terms of fuel use, CO₂ production, and running expenses.”

Policy Discussion and Industry Lobbying

Plug-in hybrid vehicles have lately been drawn again into policy discussions as automakers have lobbied the EU to relax CO₂ targets. A proposed ban on sales of new combustion engine cars in 2035 has faced heavy pressure from the car industry and opposition from EU countries with large car industries.

Some high-level officials have proposed PHEVs as a potential “flexibility” option to include in the regulation.

One independent energy economics expert, who was unaffiliated with the research, described the analysis a “highly valuable contribution” after a long period in which segments of the car industry claimed there was insufficient information to accurately evaluate real-world CO2 output.

“These findings demonstrate, beyond any doubt, that the gap between official and real-world PHEV energy use and CO₂ output is significantly larger than for gasoline or conventional cars,” they stated. “All regulatory adjustments concerning PHEVs should be made with utmost caution and in the light of that data.”