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PHEVs emit almost 5x greater global warming pollution than official figures show, as per a recent report.

Growing Gap In Official and Actual CO2 Output

Statistics reveals that PHEVs emit only one-fifth less CO₂ than traditional gas and diesel vehicles, based on analysis carried out by a non-profit organization. This contrasts significantly with lab tests, which assumed a 75% reduction in emissions.

Researchers examined data from in-vehicle fuel consumption monitors of eight hundred thousand cars registered in Europe between 2021 and 2023. They found that actual CO₂ emissions from PHEVs in 2023 were nearly five times higher than lab estimates, up from 3.5 times in 2021.

“Actual emissions are increasing, while lab-reported figures are falling,” said a senior researcher participating in the report. “That gap is growing and poses a significant problem. As a result, PHEVs emit almost as much as gasoline cars.”

Primary Factors Driving the Discrepancy

Analysts attributed the majority of the difference to overestimates of the “electric driving share” – the ratio of miles travelled in battery mode relative to overall mileage. They determined that only a quarter of driving was completed in EV mode, while official assumptions suggested over four-fifths.

Even, when running in EV mode, pollution levels were well above lab projections. That occurred because electric motors were not strong sufficient to function alone, resulting to combustion motors using gasoline for almost a third of the distance covered in EV mode.

Policy and Financial Implications

According to calculations, the lowballing of PHEV emissions allowed four major automaker groups to avoid more than €5bn in fines from 2021 and 2023, by artificially easing compliance with EU fleet-average CO₂ standards.

Additionally, owners of PHEVs would pay approximately €500 more annually in running costs than would be assumed under laboratory conditions.

“The bold claims that manufacturers like to make about their PHEV cars are clearly way off the truth,” stated a automotive expert. “Buyers are being duped into believing that by buying a PHEV, they are benefiting the environment and saving costs. Actually, PHEVs are little improved than regular petrol and diesel vehicles in terms of fuel use, CO₂ production, and operating expenses.”

Political Discussion and Automotive Lobbying

Hybrid vehicles have lately been brought again into political discussions as carmakers have pressed the EU to weaken CO₂ standards. A planned prohibition on new combustion engine cars in 2035 has faced intense lobbying from the car sector and resistance from EU countries with large automotive industries.

Some senior politicians have proposed plug-in hybrids as a potential “flexibility” option to introduce in the legislation.

One external energy policy expert, who was not involved with the research, called the analysis a “highly valuable contribution” after a long period in which parts of the car industry claimed there was insufficient data to accurately assess actual emissions.

“The results demonstrate, without question, that the difference between lab and actual PHEV fuel consumption and CO₂ output is significantly larger than for petrol or conventional cars,” the expert stated. “Any regulatory adjustments regarding PHEVs should be made with utmost caution and considering this evidence.”