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PHEVs emit nearly 5x more global warming pollution than lab-reported data show, as per a recent report.

Growing Discrepancy In Official and Actual Emissions

Statistics reveals that PHEVs release just one-fifth lower CO₂ than traditional gas and diesel cars, based on research conducted by a advocacy group. That differs sharply with laboratory estimates, which assumed a three-quarters reduction in emissions.

Analysts studied information from in-vehicle energy use monitors of 800,000 cars sold in Europe from 2021 and 2023. They found that real-world CO₂ output from PHEVs in 2023 were nearly five times greater than lab estimates, increased from three and a half times in 2021.

“Real-world CO2 output are rising, while lab-reported emissions are decreasing,” stated a lead analyst involved in the study. “This gap is widening and creates a serious issue. Consequently, PHEVs pollute nearly as much as petrol vehicles.”

Primary Reasons Driving the Discrepancy

Analysts linked the majority of the gap to inflated estimates of the “utility factor” – the ratio of kilometers driven in electric mode compared to total distance. They determined that only a quarter of driving was completed in electric mode, while lab estimates suggested over four-fifths.

Even, when running in EV mode, pollution levels were significantly higher than lab projections. That happened because EV motors were insufficiently powerful sufficient to function alone, resulting to combustion motors using fossil fuels for nearly one-third of the travel completed in EV mode.

Regulatory and Financial Implications

According to estimates, the lowballing of PHEV emissions allowed several major automaker groups to escape more than €5bn in fines between 2021 and 2023, by falsely simplifying compliance with EU average fleet CO₂ standards.

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

“The bold statements that manufacturers like to make about their plug-in hybrid cars are clearly far from the truth,” commented a automotive expert. “Consumers are being duped into thinking that by buying a PHEV, they are benefiting the environment and saving money. Actually, PHEVs are little improved than standard gas and diesel cars in terms of energy use, CO₂ emissions, and operating costs.”

Policy Discussion and Industry Lobbying

Plug-in hybrid vehicles have lately been brought back into policy discussions as automakers have lobbied the EU to weaken CO₂ targets. A planned prohibition on sales of new combustion engine cars in 2035 has faced intense lobbying from the car industry and resistance from member states with significant car manufacturing.

Several senior politicians have suggested PHEVs as a potential “flexibility” solution to include in the regulation.

One external energy economics specialist, who was not involved with the research, called the analysis a “highly valuable addition” after a long period in which parts of the car industry claimed there was insufficient information to properly evaluate actual emissions.

“The results demonstrate, without question, that the gap in official and actual PHEV fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions is significantly larger than for gasoline or diesel cars,” they stated. “Any regulatory changes concerning PHEVs should be made with extreme caution and in the light of that evidence.”