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PHEVs emit nearly 5x greater global warming pollution than lab-reported figures show, as per a recent analysis.

Widening Gap Between Official and Actual Emissions

Statistics shows that PHEVs release just 19% lower CO₂ than traditional gas and diesel cars, according to analysis carried out by a non-profit group. That contrasts significantly with laboratory tests, which suggested a three-quarters reduction in emissions.

Researchers studied data from in-vehicle fuel consumption meters of eight hundred thousand vehicles registered in Europe from 2021 and 2023. They found that real-world CO₂ output from PHEVs in 2023 were nearly five times greater than official figures, increased from three and a half times in 2021.

“Actual CO2 output are increasing, while official figures are decreasing,” stated a lead researcher involved in the report. “That gap is growing and creates a significant problem. Consequently, PHEVs emit nearly as heavily as petrol vehicles.”

Primary Reasons Behind the Emissions Gap

Researchers attributed most of the difference to overestimates of the “utility factor” – the ratio of miles travelled in battery mode compared to total mileage. They found that only 27% of travel was done in electric mode, while lab assumptions assumed over four-fifths.

Even, when running in electric mode, pollution amounts were significantly higher than lab estimates. That occurred because electric motors were not strong sufficient to function alone, resulting to combustion motors burning fossil fuels for nearly a third of the distance completed in EV mode.

Regulatory and Financial Implications

Based on calculations, the lowballing of PHEV CO2 output enabled four large automaker companies to avoid more than €5bn in penalties between 2021 and 2023, by falsely simplifying compliance with European Union average fleet CO₂ targets.

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

“The bold statements that automakers often promote about their plug-in hybrid vehicles are clearly way off the truth,” commented a transport expert. “Buyers are being duped into thinking that by purchasing a PHEV, they are benefiting the planet and cutting costs. In reality, PHEVs are little improved than regular gas and diesel cars in terms of energy use, CO₂ emissions, and running costs.”

Political Debate and Automotive Pressure

Hybrid cars have lately been drawn back into political debates as carmakers have pressed the European Union to relax CO₂ targets. A proposed ban on new internal combustion vehicles in 2035 has faced heavy lobbying from the automotive industry and resistance from EU countries with large automotive manufacturing.

Some high-level officials have proposed PHEVs as a possible “compromise” option to introduce in the legislation.

An external energy economics specialist, who was not involved with the research, called the report a “very useful contribution” after years in which segments of the car sector claimed there was insufficient information to accurately evaluate real-world emissions.

“These findings show, without question, that the difference between lab and actual PHEV fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions is much, much larger than for petrol or conventional cars,” they stated. “All policy changes concerning PHEVs should be implemented with utmost care and in the light of that data.”