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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.

Widening Gap In Lab and Actual CO2 Output

Data shows that PHEVs release just one-fifth less CO₂ than traditional gas and diesel vehicles, according to research conducted by a advocacy organization. That contrasts sharply with lab tests, which assumed a three-quarters reduction in pollution.

Researchers studied information from in-vehicle energy use monitors of 800,000 vehicles registered in Europe between 2021 and 2023. They discovered that real-world CO₂ output from PHEVs in 2023 were 4.9 times higher than official figures, increased from three and a half times in 2021.

“Actual CO2 output are increasing, while official emissions are falling,” said a lead analyst involved in the report. “That gap is widening and creates a significant problem. Consequently, PHEVs emit nearly as much as petrol vehicles.”

Primary Reasons Behind the Discrepancy

Analysts attributed the majority of the gap to inflated estimates of the “utility factor” – the percentage of miles travelled in electric mode compared to overall mileage. They found that only a quarter of driving was done in EV mode, whereas official estimates assumed over four-fifths.

Additionally, when running in electric mode, emission levels were well above lab estimates. This occurred because electric motors were insufficiently powerful sufficient to function alone, resulting to combustion motors using fossil fuels for almost a third of the distance covered in EV mode.

Regulatory and Economic Implications

Based on calculations, the underestimation of PHEV emissions allowed several major automaker companies to escape more than €5bn in penalties between 2021 and 2023, by falsely simplifying compliance with European Union fleet-average CO₂ standards.

Additionally, owners of PHEVs would pay approximately €500 extra annually in operating costs than would be estimated under lab conditions.

“The bold claims that manufacturers like to make about their PHEV cars are obviously way off the truth,” commented a automotive analyst. “Consumers are being misled into believing that by buying a PHEV, they are helping the planet and saving costs. In reality, PHEVs are only slightly better than regular petrol and diesel vehicles in terms of energy consumption, CO₂ emissions, and running expenses.”

Policy Debate and Industry Pressure

Plug-in hybrid cars have lately been brought back into policy discussions as automakers have lobbied the European Union to relax CO₂ targets. A planned prohibition on new internal combustion cars in 2035 has faced heavy pressure from the automotive sector and resistance from member states with large automotive manufacturing.

Some senior officials have proposed plug-in hybrids as a possible “compromise” option to introduce in the legislation.

One independent energy policy specialist, who was unaffiliated with the research, described the report a “highly valuable addition” after years in which segments of the automotive sector claimed there was too little information to accurately evaluate real-world CO2 output.

“These findings show, beyond any doubt, that the difference in lab and real-world PHEV fuel consumption and CO₂ output is significantly larger than for petrol or diesel vehicles,” the expert said. “Any regulatory changes concerning PHEVs should be made with extreme care and considering this evidence.”