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PHEVs emit nearly five times greater global warming pollution than official figures indicate, as per a recent analysis.

Growing Gap In Lab and Real-World CO2 Output

Data shows that PHEVs release just one-fifth less CO₂ than conventional gas and diesel vehicles, according to analysis carried out by a advocacy group. That contrasts significantly with laboratory tests, which assumed a 75% reduction in pollution.

Analysts studied information from onboard energy use monitors of eight hundred thousand cars sold in the EU between 2021 and 2023. They found that real-world CO₂ output from PHEVs in 2023 were 4.9 times higher than official figures, up from three and a half times in 2021.

“Real-world CO2 output are rising, while official figures are falling,” said a lead analyst involved in the report. “That gap is growing and creates a serious issue. Consequently, PHEVs emit nearly as much as gasoline cars.”

Primary Reasons Driving the Discrepancy

Researchers attributed the majority of the difference to inflated estimates of the “utility factor” – the ratio of miles travelled in battery mode compared to overall mileage. The team determined that only a quarter of driving was done in electric mode, whereas official assumptions suggested 84%.

Additionally, when running in EV mode, emission amounts were well above official projections. This happened because EV motors were insufficiently powerful sufficient to operate alone, resulting to engines burning fossil fuels for almost a third of the distance completed in electric mode.

Policy and Economic Implications

According to calculations, the underestimation of PHEV emissions enabled several major automaker groups to avoid more than €5bn in fines between 2021 and 2023, by falsely easing adherence with European Union average fleet CO₂ targets.

Additionally, drivers of PHEVs could spend approximately €500 more per year in operating expenses than would be assumed under laboratory tests.

“The strong claims that automakers often promote about their PHEV cars are clearly way off the truth,” commented a transport expert. “Buyers are being misled into believing that by buying a PHEV, they are helping the environment and saving costs. Actually, PHEVs are only slightly improved than regular petrol and diesel vehicles in terms of energy consumption, CO₂ emissions, and operating expenses.”

Policy Discussion and Industry Pressure

Plug-in hybrid cars have lately been brought again into policy debates as carmakers have lobbied the EU to relax CO₂ targets. A proposed prohibition on new combustion engine cars in 2035 has faced heavy pressure from the car sector and resistance from EU countries with significant car industries.

Several senior politicians have suggested plug-in hybrids as a potential “flexibility” option to include in the regulation.

An independent energy economics specialist, who was unaffiliated with the study, called the report a “very useful contribution” after years in which parts of the automotive sector claimed there was too little data to accurately assess actual emissions.

“These findings demonstrate, without question, that the gap between lab and actual PHEV fuel consumption and CO₂ output is significantly greater than for gasoline or diesel vehicles,” they stated. “Any policy changes concerning PHEVs should be implemented with extreme caution and in the light of that evidence.”