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PHEVs release nearly five times more global warming pollution than official figures indicate, as per a new report.

Growing Gap In Official and Actual Emissions

Statistics shows that PHEVs release just 19% lower CO₂ than traditional petrol and diesel cars, based on analysis conducted by a advocacy organization. This differs significantly with lab estimates, which suggested a three-quarters decrease in emissions.

Analysts examined data from onboard energy use monitors of eight hundred thousand cars sold in the EU between 2021 and 2023. They found that real-world CO₂ output from PHEVs in 2023 were nearly five times higher than official figures, up from 3.5 times in 2021.

“Actual CO2 output are rising, while lab-reported figures are falling,” said a senior analyst involved in the study. “This discrepancy is widening and poses a serious issue. As a result, PHEVs emit nearly as much as petrol cars.”

Key Factors Behind the Emissions Gap

Analysts attributed the majority of the difference to overestimates of the “utility factor” – the ratio of miles travelled in battery mode compared to total mileage. They found that just a quarter of driving was done in electric mode, whereas official estimates assumed over four-fifths.

Additionally, when operating in EV mode, pollution levels were well above official projections. This occurred because electric motors were insufficiently powerful sufficient to operate alone, resulting to combustion motors using gasoline for nearly a third of the distance completed in EV mode.

Policy and Financial Consequences

Based on estimates, the lowballing of PHEV CO2 output enabled several major automaker groups to escape more than €5bn in penalties from 2021 and 2023, by artificially easing adherence with European Union fleet-average CO₂ targets.

Furthermore, drivers of PHEVs could spend approximately €500 more annually in operating expenses than is assumed under laboratory tests.

“The bold statements that automakers often promote about their PHEV vehicles are obviously far from the truth,” stated a transport analyst. “Consumers are being duped into believing that by purchasing a PHEV, they are helping the environment and cutting money. In reality, PHEVs are only slightly improved than standard gas and diesel vehicles in terms of fuel use, CO₂ production, and operating costs.”

Policy Discussion and Automotive Lobbying

Hybrid cars have lately been brought again into political debates as carmakers have pressed the European Union to relax CO₂ standards. A planned ban on sales of new combustion engine cars in 2035 has faced intense pressure from the car sector and opposition from member states with large car manufacturing.

Some senior officials have suggested plug-in hybrids as a potential “flexibility” solution to introduce in the legislation.

An independent energy economics expert, who was unaffiliated with the study, called the analysis a “very useful contribution” after years in which segments of the automotive industry argued there was too little information to properly evaluate actual emissions.

“These findings show, without question, that the gap between lab and real-world 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 implemented with utmost caution and considering this evidence.”