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PHEVs release nearly 5x more planet-heating pollution than official figures show, according to a recent report.

Growing Discrepancy In Lab and Actual CO2 Output

Data reveals that PHEVs release just 19% less CO₂ than traditional gas and diesel cars, based on analysis carried out by a advocacy group. That differs significantly with lab estimates, which assumed a three-quarters reduction in pollution.

Analysts examined data from onboard fuel consumption monitors of eight hundred thousand vehicles sold in Europe from 2021 and 2023. The team discovered that actual CO₂ output from PHEVs in 2023 were nearly five times greater than lab figures, increased from 3.5 times in 2021.

“Real-world emissions are rising, while official figures are decreasing,” said a lead researcher involved in the report. “This gap is widening and creates a significant issue. Consequently, PHEVs pollute almost as much as petrol cars.”

Key Factors Behind the Emissions Gap

Researchers attributed most of the gap to overestimates of the “utility factor” – the percentage of miles driven in electric power compared to overall mileage. The team found that only 27% of travel was done in electric mode, whereas lab estimates assumed over four-fifths.

Additionally, when running in EV mode, emission levels were well above lab estimates. This occurred because EV motors were insufficiently powerful sufficient to function independently, resulting to engines burning gasoline for nearly a third of the distance completed in EV mode.

Regulatory and Financial Implications

Based on calculations, the underestimation of PHEV emissions allowed several major automaker companies to escape over €5bn in penalties from 2021 and 2023, by artificially simplifying compliance with European Union average fleet CO₂ standards.

Additionally, drivers of PHEVs would pay approximately €500 more per year in operating expenses than is assumed under lab conditions.

“The bold claims that automakers like to make about their plug-in hybrid vehicles are obviously way off the truth,” commented a automotive expert. “Buyers are being duped into thinking that by buying a PHEV, they are benefiting the planet and cutting money. Actually, PHEVs are only slightly better than standard gas and diesel cars in terms of energy use, CO₂ emissions, and running costs.”

Policy Debate and Industry Pressure

Hybrid cars have lately been drawn again into political discussions as carmakers have pressed the European Union to weaken CO₂ standards. A planned prohibition on sales of new combustion engine vehicles in 2035 has faced heavy lobbying from the car industry and resistance from EU countries with significant automotive industries.

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

One external energy economics specialist, who was unaffiliated with the research, described the report a “very useful addition” after a long period in which segments of the car industry claimed there was insufficient information to accurately evaluate actual emissions.

“The results demonstrate, beyond any doubt, that the difference in lab and actual PHEV fuel consumption and CO₂ output is much, much greater than for gasoline or conventional vehicles,” they stated. “All regulatory changes regarding PHEVs should be made with extreme caution and considering this evidence.”