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PHEVs emit almost five times more global warming pollution than official data indicate, as per a recent report.

Growing Discrepancy In Official and Actual Emissions

Statistics shows that PHEVs emit just 19% less CO₂ than traditional petrol and diesel cars, based on analysis carried out by a non-profit group. This differs significantly with lab tests, which suggested a 75% reduction in emissions.

Analysts examined information from onboard energy use meters of eight hundred thousand vehicles registered in the EU from 2021 and 2023. The team discovered that real-world CO₂ emissions from PHEVs in 2023 were 4.9 times higher than lab figures, up from three and a half times in 2021.

“Actual CO2 output are rising, while lab-reported figures are decreasing,” said a senior researcher participating in the study. “This gap is widening and creates a serious issue. Consequently, PHEVs pollute almost as heavily as petrol vehicles.”

Key Factors Behind the Emissions Gap

Analysts attributed most of the difference to overestimates of the “electric driving share” – the ratio of miles travelled in electric power compared to total mileage. The team found that just 27% of driving was completed in electric mode, whereas official estimates assumed 84%.

Additionally, when operating in electric mode, pollution amounts were significantly higher than lab projections. That occurred because electric motors were not strong sufficient to function alone, resulting to combustion motors using gasoline for almost a third of the distance completed in electric mode.

Policy and Financial Implications

Based on calculations, the underestimation of PHEV CO2 output enabled several large automaker groups to avoid over €5bn in penalties between 2021 and 2023, by falsely easing compliance with EU fleet-average CO₂ targets.

Additionally, drivers of PHEVs would pay approximately €500 more per year in running costs than would be estimated under lab tests.

“The strong claims that automakers often promote about their PHEV vehicles are clearly far from the truth,” commented a automotive analyst. “Consumers are being misled into believing that by purchasing a PHEV, they are benefiting the environment and cutting costs. In reality, PHEVs are only slightly improved than standard gas and diesel cars in terms of energy use, CO₂ production, and running expenses.”

Policy Debate and Industry Lobbying

Hybrid cars have lately been drawn back into policy debates as carmakers have pressed the EU to relax CO₂ standards. A proposed ban on sales of new internal combustion cars in 2035 has faced intense pressure from the automotive industry and resistance from member states with large car industries.

Several high-level officials have proposed plug-in hybrids as a possible “flexibility” solution to include in the legislation.

An independent energy policy specialist, who was not involved with the study, described the report a “very useful contribution” after a long period in which parts of the automotive sector argued there was insufficient data to properly assess actual emissions.

“These findings show, without question, that the difference between official and actual PHEV fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions is significantly larger than for gasoline or conventional cars,” the expert stated. “Any regulatory changes concerning PHEVs should be implemented with utmost care and in the light of this data.”