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PHEVs release nearly five times more planet-heating emissions than official data show, as per a recent analysis.

Growing Discrepancy In Official and Real-World CO2 Output

Data reveals that PHEVs emit only 19% less CO₂ than conventional gas and diesel vehicles, according to analysis carried out by a advocacy group. That differs sharply with laboratory tests, which assumed a three-quarters reduction in pollution.

Analysts examined information from in-vehicle energy use meters of eight hundred thousand vehicles registered in the EU between 2021 and 2023. They found that actual CO₂ emissions from PHEVs in 2023 were nearly five times higher than lab estimates, increased from three and a half times in 2021.

“Actual CO2 output are rising, while lab-reported figures are falling,” stated a senior researcher involved in the report. “That discrepancy is growing and poses a significant problem. As a result, PHEVs emit nearly as heavily as petrol cars.”

Primary Factors Driving the Discrepancy

Analysts linked most of the difference to inflated estimates of the “utility factor” – the ratio of kilometers driven in battery mode compared to total mileage. They determined that just 27% of driving was done in EV mode, whereas official assumptions assumed 84%.

Even, when operating in electric mode, emission levels were well above official projections. That occurred because electric motors were not strong enough to operate alone, leading to combustion motors using gasoline for nearly a third of the distance completed in EV mode.

Regulatory and Financial Consequences

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

Furthermore, drivers of PHEVs could spend approximately €500 extra annually in operating expenses than would be estimated under laboratory tests.

“The bold statements that automakers like to make about their plug-in hybrid cars are clearly way off the mark,” commented a automotive expert. “Consumers are being duped into believing that by buying a PHEV, they are benefiting the environment and cutting money. Actually, PHEVs are only slightly improved than standard petrol and diesel cars in terms of fuel use, CO₂ emissions, and running expenses.”

Policy Discussion and Automotive Lobbying

Plug-in hybrid cars have recently been drawn back into political discussions as carmakers have lobbied the EU to weaken CO₂ targets. A proposed prohibition on sales of new combustion engine vehicles in 2035 has faced intense lobbying from the car sector and opposition from EU countries with large automotive industries.

Some senior officials have suggested PHEVs as a possible “flexibility” option to include in the legislation.

An independent energy policy expert, who was unaffiliated with the study, described the report a “highly valuable addition” after years in which segments of the car industry argued there was insufficient data to properly assess real-world CO2 output.

“The results show, without question, that the difference between lab and real-world PHEV energy use and CO₂ emissions is much, much greater than for gasoline or diesel vehicles,” they stated. “All policy changes regarding PHEVs should be implemented with extreme caution and considering this evidence.”