🔗 Share this article

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles produce nearly five times greater planet-heating emissions than lab-reported data show, as per a recent analysis.

Growing Gap Between Official and Real-World CO2 Output

Statistics shows that PHEVs emit just one-fifth lower CO₂ than traditional petrol and diesel cars, based on research conducted by a advocacy group. This contrasts significantly with laboratory tests, which assumed a three-quarters reduction in pollution.

Analysts examined information from in-vehicle fuel consumption meters of 800,000 vehicles sold in the EU from 2021 and 2023. The team found that real-world CO₂ emissions from PHEVs in 2023 were nearly five times higher than official figures, increased from 3.5 times in 2021.

“Real-world CO2 output are increasing, while lab-reported emissions are falling,” said a senior analyst involved in the report. “That discrepancy is widening and creates a serious problem. As a result, PHEVs pollute almost as much as gasoline cars.”

Primary Reasons Behind the Emissions Gap

Researchers linked most of the gap to inflated estimates of the “utility factor” – the percentage of kilometers travelled in electric mode relative to overall mileage. They determined that only 27% of travel was completed in electric mode, while official assumptions suggested over four-fifths.

Additionally, when running in electric mode, emission levels were significantly higher than official projections. This happened because electric motors were insufficiently powerful enough to operate alone, resulting to engines burning fossil fuels for nearly one-third of the distance completed in EV mode.

Policy and Financial Implications

According to estimates, the underestimation of PHEV emissions allowed several major automaker companies to escape more than €5bn in fines between 2021 and 2023, by falsely simplifying adherence with European Union average fleet CO₂ targets.

Additionally, drivers of PHEVs could pay approximately €500 extra annually in running expenses than would be assumed under laboratory conditions.

“The bold claims that automakers like to make about their plug-in hybrid cars are obviously far from the truth,” stated a automotive analyst. “Consumers are being misled into thinking that by purchasing a PHEV, they are helping the planet and cutting money. Actually, PHEVs are only slightly improved than regular petrol and diesel vehicles in terms of energy consumption, CO₂ production, and running expenses.”

Policy Debate and Automotive Pressure

Hybrid cars have lately been drawn again into policy debates as automakers have pressed the EU to weaken CO₂ targets. A planned ban on sales of new internal combustion cars in 2035 has faced intense pressure from the automotive industry and resistance from EU countries with significant car manufacturing.

Several senior officials have proposed PHEVs as a potential “flexibility” solution to introduce in the legislation.

An independent energy economics specialist, who was unaffiliated with the research, called the analysis a “highly valuable addition” after a long period in which parts of the car industry argued there was insufficient information to properly evaluate actual CO2 output.

“The results show, without question, that the gap in lab and real-world PHEV energy use and CO₂ output is much, much larger than for gasoline or conventional vehicles,” they said. “All regulatory adjustments regarding PHEVs should be made with extreme caution and considering that evidence.”