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PHEVs produce almost five times greater global warming emissions than lab-reported figures indicate, as per a new report.

Widening Gap In Official and Actual CO2 Output

Data reveals that PHEVs release only 19% less CO₂ than conventional gas and diesel vehicles, according to research conducted by a advocacy organization. That contrasts significantly with laboratory estimates, which suggested a three-quarters decrease in emissions.

Researchers studied data from in-vehicle fuel consumption monitors of 800,000 cars registered in Europe from 2021 and 2023. They discovered that actual CO₂ emissions from PHEVs in 2023 were 4.9 times greater than lab estimates, up from 3.5 times in 2021.

“Real-world CO2 output are rising, while official emissions are decreasing,” said a lead analyst involved in the study. “This gap is widening and creates a serious issue. Consequently, PHEVs emit nearly as much as gasoline cars.”

Key Reasons Driving the Discrepancy

Analysts linked the majority of the difference to overestimates of the “electric driving share” – the ratio of miles driven in battery power relative to overall distance. The team found that just 27% of travel was done in EV mode, while official estimates assumed over four-fifths.

Additionally, when running in EV mode, emission amounts were well above official projections. That occurred because electric motors were insufficiently powerful enough to operate independently, leading to combustion motors using fossil fuels for nearly a third of the distance completed in EV mode.

Policy and Financial Consequences

Based on calculations, the lowballing of PHEV emissions enabled four large carmaker companies to escape more than €5bn in fines between 2021 and 2023, by falsely simplifying adherence with European Union average fleet CO₂ standards.

Additionally, drivers of PHEVs would pay about €500 more annually in operating expenses than is estimated under laboratory conditions.

“The bold statements that automakers like to make about their plug-in hybrid cars are obviously way off the mark,” commented a transport analyst. “Consumers are being duped into thinking that by buying a PHEV, they are helping the planet and cutting costs. In reality, PHEVs are only slightly better than regular petrol and diesel vehicles in terms of energy consumption, CO₂ production, and operating costs.”

Political Discussion and Automotive Lobbying

Hybrid cars have lately been drawn again into policy debates as carmakers have lobbied the EU to relax CO₂ targets. A proposed prohibition on sales of new internal combustion vehicles in 2035 has faced intense lobbying from the automotive sector and resistance from member states with significant automotive manufacturing.

Several high-level politicians have proposed PHEVs as a possible “compromise” option to include in the regulation.

An external energy policy specialist, who was unaffiliated with the study, described the analysis a “very useful contribution” after a long period in which segments of the automotive industry claimed there was insufficient information to accurately evaluate actual CO2 output.

“The results demonstrate, beyond any doubt, that the gap in official and real-world PHEV fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions is much, much larger than for petrol or conventional cars,” they stated. “All regulatory changes regarding PHEVs should be made with extreme caution and in the light of that data.”