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Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles produce nearly 5x more planet-heating pollution than official figures indicate, as per a recent report.

Growing Discrepancy In Lab and Actual CO2 Output

Statistics reveals that PHEVs emit only 19% lower CO₂ than conventional gas and diesel vehicles, according to analysis conducted by a advocacy group. This contrasts significantly with laboratory estimates, which assumed a three-quarters decrease in emissions.

Researchers examined information from in-vehicle fuel consumption monitors of eight hundred thousand vehicles sold in the EU between 2021 and 2023. They found that real-world CO₂ emissions from PHEVs in 2023 were 4.9 times higher than lab figures, up from 3.5 times in 2021.

“Actual CO2 output are increasing, while lab-reported emissions are decreasing,” stated a senior analyst involved in the study. “This gap is widening and creates a serious issue. As a result, PHEVs pollute nearly as much as petrol vehicles.”

Key Factors Behind the Discrepancy

Analysts linked the majority of the difference to overestimates of the “electric driving share” – the ratio of miles driven in battery mode relative to total distance. The team found that only a quarter of travel was done in EV mode, whereas official assumptions assumed over four-fifths.

Additionally, when operating in EV mode, pollution amounts were significantly higher than official estimates. That happened because EV motors were insufficiently powerful sufficient to function alone, resulting to engines using fossil fuels for nearly a third of the distance completed in EV mode.

Regulatory and Financial Implications

Based on calculations, the lowballing of PHEV emissions allowed several large automaker companies to escape more than €5bn in fines between 2021 and 2023, by artificially simplifying adherence with European Union average fleet CO₂ targets.

Additionally, owners of PHEVs would pay approximately €500 more per year in operating expenses than is estimated under lab tests.

“The strong claims that manufacturers often promote about their plug-in hybrid vehicles are obviously way off the truth,” stated a automotive analyst. “Consumers are being duped into thinking that by buying a PHEV, they are helping the planet and saving costs. In reality, PHEVs are only slightly better than regular gas and diesel cars in terms of fuel use, CO₂ production, and operating expenses.”

Policy Debate and Automotive Pressure

Plug-in hybrid vehicles have recently been brought again into political discussions as automakers have lobbied the EU to relax CO₂ standards. A planned prohibition on new combustion engine vehicles in 2035 has faced intense lobbying from the automotive industry and resistance from EU countries with significant car manufacturing.

Several high-level officials have suggested PHEVs as a possible “flexibility” option to include in the regulation.

An independent energy economics specialist, who was unaffiliated with the study, called the report a “highly valuable addition” after years in which parts of the car industry claimed there was too little data to accurately assess real-world CO2 output.

“These findings show, without question, that the gap in official and real-world PHEV fuel consumption and CO₂ output is much, much greater than for petrol or conventional cars,” the expert stated. “Any policy adjustments regarding PHEVs should be made with utmost caution and in the light of this data.”