🔗 Share this article

PHEVs emit almost five times more global warming pollution than official figures indicate, as per a new analysis.

Growing Gap In Lab and Actual Emissions

Statistics shows that PHEVs emit only 19% less CO₂ than traditional petrol and diesel vehicles, based on analysis carried out by a non-profit group. This contrasts significantly with laboratory tests, which assumed a 75% decrease in pollution.

Analysts examined information from onboard energy use meters of eight hundred thousand vehicles sold in Europe between 2021 and 2023. They discovered that actual CO₂ output from PHEVs in 2023 were nearly five times higher than lab estimates, increased from three and a half times in 2021.

“Actual emissions are rising, while lab-reported emissions are falling,” stated a lead analyst participating in the report. “This gap is growing and creates a serious issue. As a result, PHEVs emit nearly as much as gasoline vehicles.”

Key Factors Driving the Discrepancy

Researchers linked most of the gap to overestimates of the “electric driving share” – the percentage of kilometers travelled in battery power relative to overall distance. They found that only a quarter of driving was completed in electric mode, while lab assumptions suggested over four-fifths.

Even, when running in electric mode, pollution amounts were significantly higher than official estimates. That occurred because EV motors were insufficiently powerful enough to operate independently, leading to combustion motors using fossil fuels for almost a third of the travel covered in EV mode.

Regulatory and Economic Implications

According to estimates, the lowballing of PHEV emissions allowed four large carmaker groups to escape over €5bn in fines between 2021 and 2023, by artificially easing adherence with EU fleet-average CO₂ standards.

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

“The bold claims that manufacturers often promote about their plug-in hybrid vehicles are obviously far from the mark,” commented a automotive expert. “Consumers are being misled into believing that by buying a PHEV, they are helping the planet and cutting money. Actually, PHEVs are only slightly improved than standard petrol and diesel cars in terms of fuel consumption, CO₂ emissions, and running costs.”

Policy Discussion and Automotive Pressure

Hybrid cars have recently been brought back into political debates as automakers have pressed the EU to relax CO₂ targets. A planned ban on new internal combustion vehicles in 2035 has faced heavy pressure from the automotive industry and opposition from EU countries with large car manufacturing.

Some high-level politicians have suggested PHEVs as a possible “compromise” solution to include in the regulation.

One independent energy economics expert, who was unaffiliated with the study, described the analysis a “highly valuable contribution” after a long period in which segments of the car industry argued there was too little information to properly evaluate actual emissions.

“These findings show, without question, that the difference in official and actual PHEV fuel consumption and CO₂ output is much, much greater than for gasoline or diesel cars,” the expert said. “Any policy changes regarding PHEVs should be made with utmost caution and considering that evidence.”