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PHEVs emit almost five times greater planet-heating emissions than official data show, according to a new analysis.

Growing Gap In Lab and Real-World CO2 Output

Statistics shows that PHEVs release only 19% lower CO₂ than traditional gas and diesel vehicles, based on research carried out by a advocacy group. This contrasts sharply with laboratory estimates, which assumed a 75% reduction in emissions.

Analysts studied data from onboard energy use monitors of eight hundred thousand vehicles registered in the EU from 2021 and 2023. They discovered that actual CO₂ output from PHEVs in 2023 were nearly five times higher than official figures, increased from 3.5 times in 2021.

“Real-world CO2 output are rising, while official figures are decreasing,” stated a lead analyst participating in the report. “That gap is growing and creates a significant issue. As a result, PHEVs pollute nearly as heavily as petrol cars.”

Key Reasons Driving the Discrepancy

Analysts attributed the majority of the difference to inflated estimates of the “utility factor” – the ratio of kilometers driven in battery mode compared to overall mileage. The team determined that just a quarter of driving was completed in EV mode, while lab estimates assumed over four-fifths.

Even, when running in electric mode, emission amounts were well above lab projections. This happened because electric motors were insufficiently powerful sufficient to function alone, resulting to combustion motors using fossil fuels for almost a third of the distance covered in electric mode.

Regulatory and Financial Implications

Based on calculations, the underestimation of PHEV emissions allowed four major carmaker companies to avoid more than €5bn in fines from 2021 and 2023, by falsely simplifying adherence with EU average fleet CO₂ targets.

Additionally, owners of PHEVs could pay about €500 more per year in running costs than is estimated under lab tests.

“The bold claims that manufacturers like to make about their plug-in hybrid cars are obviously way off the mark,” commented a automotive expert. “Consumers are being duped into believing that by buying a PHEV, they are helping the environment and saving costs. Actually, PHEVs are little better than regular petrol and diesel vehicles in terms of energy consumption, CO₂ production, and operating expenses.”

Political Discussion and Industry Lobbying

Hybrid vehicles have lately been drawn back into policy discussions as automakers have lobbied the EU to weaken CO₂ standards. A planned prohibition on new combustion engine vehicles in 2035 has faced intense lobbying from the automotive sector and resistance from EU countries with significant automotive industries.

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

An independent energy policy specialist, who was not involved with the research, called the report a “highly valuable contribution” after a long period in which segments of the automotive sector claimed there was too little information to accurately evaluate actual emissions.

“The results show, without question, that the difference between official and actual PHEV fuel consumption and CO₂ output is much, much greater than for petrol or diesel vehicles,” they stated. “All policy adjustments concerning PHEVs should be implemented with utmost care and in the light of that data.”