🔗 Share this article

PHEVs emit almost 5x more global warming emissions than lab-reported data indicate, as per a recent analysis.

Widening Gap In Lab and Actual Emissions

Statistics shows that PHEVs release only 19% less CO₂ than conventional petrol and diesel vehicles, based on analysis conducted by a non-profit organization. This differs significantly with laboratory tests, which suggested a 75% reduction in pollution.

Researchers studied data from in-vehicle energy use meters of eight hundred thousand cars registered in the EU between 2021 and 2023. The team found that actual CO₂ output from PHEVs in 2023 were nearly five times greater than official figures, increased from 3.5 times in 2021.

“Real-world CO2 output are rising, while lab-reported emissions are falling,” stated a senior analyst participating in the study. “This gap is widening and creates a serious problem. As a result, PHEVs pollute nearly as heavily as gasoline vehicles.”

Primary Reasons Driving the Discrepancy

Researchers linked the majority of the gap to inflated estimates of the “utility factor” – the percentage of miles travelled in electric power compared to overall mileage. The team determined that just 27% of driving was completed in EV mode, whereas lab assumptions assumed over four-fifths.

Additionally, when operating in electric mode, emission amounts were well above official estimates. That happened because EV motors were not strong enough to function alone, resulting to combustion motors burning fossil fuels for almost a third of the distance covered in EV mode.

Policy and Financial Consequences

Based on estimates, the lowballing of PHEV emissions enabled four large automaker companies to avoid over €5bn in penalties from 2021 and 2023, by falsely easing adherence with European Union average fleet CO₂ targets.

Furthermore, drivers of PHEVs could pay about €500 extra annually in operating expenses than would be assumed under laboratory conditions.

“The bold statements that automakers like to make about their plug-in hybrid cars are clearly way off the mark,” commented a automotive expert. “Buyers are being misled into believing that by purchasing a PHEV, they are benefiting the environment and cutting money. Actually, PHEVs are only slightly improved than regular petrol and diesel vehicles in terms of fuel consumption, CO₂ emissions, and operating costs.”

Policy Discussion and Industry Lobbying

Hybrid cars have lately been brought back into political debates as carmakers have lobbied the European Union to relax CO₂ standards. A planned prohibition on new internal combustion cars in 2035 has faced intense pressure from the automotive industry and opposition from EU countries with significant automotive industries.

Several senior officials have suggested PHEVs as a potential “compromise” solution to introduce in the regulation.

One independent energy economics expert, who was unaffiliated with the study, called the analysis a “highly valuable addition” after a long period in which segments of the car sector argued there was insufficient information to accurately evaluate actual emissions.

“These findings show, without question, that the difference between official and actual PHEV energy use and CO₂ emissions is much, much larger than for gasoline or diesel cars,” the expert stated. “All policy changes concerning PHEVs should be made with extreme care and in the light of that evidence.”