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PHEVs release nearly five times greater planet-heating pollution than official data show, as per a recent analysis.

Widening Gap Between Official and Actual Emissions

Statistics reveals that PHEVs release only 19% less CO₂ than traditional petrol and diesel cars, according to analysis conducted by a advocacy organization. This contrasts significantly with lab tests, which suggested a three-quarters decrease in emissions.

Analysts studied data from in-vehicle fuel consumption meters of eight hundred thousand vehicles registered in the EU between 2021 and 2023. They discovered that real-world CO₂ output from PHEVs in 2023 were 4.9 times greater than official figures, up from 3.5 times in 2021.

“Real-world 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 issue. Consequently, PHEVs emit almost as much as gasoline vehicles.”

Key Reasons Driving the Discrepancy

Researchers attributed the majority of the gap to inflated estimates of the “electric driving share” – the ratio of kilometers travelled in electric power compared to total mileage. They found that only 27% of travel was completed in electric mode, whereas lab estimates assumed 84%.

Additionally, when operating in EV mode, emission levels were significantly higher than official projections. That happened because electric motors were insufficiently powerful enough to function alone, leading to combustion motors using fossil fuels for nearly a third of the travel completed in electric mode.

Policy and Financial Implications

Based on estimates, the underestimation of PHEV emissions allowed four major automaker companies to avoid over €5bn in fines from 2021 and 2023, by falsely simplifying compliance with EU average fleet CO₂ standards.

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

“The bold claims that manufacturers like to make about their PHEV vehicles are clearly way off the truth,” stated a transport expert. “Buyers are being duped into thinking that by purchasing a PHEV, they are helping the planet and saving money. In reality, PHEVs are little improved than regular gas and diesel vehicles in terms of energy use, CO₂ production, and operating expenses.”

Political Debate and Industry Pressure

Hybrid cars have recently been brought back into political debates as automakers have lobbied the EU to weaken CO₂ targets. A planned ban on new combustion engine cars in 2035 has faced intense pressure from the car industry and resistance from EU countries with significant car industries.

Some senior officials have proposed PHEVs as a possible “compromise” option to introduce in the regulation.

One independent energy economics expert, who was not involved with the study, called the report a “highly valuable contribution” after a long period in which parts of the car industry argued there was too little information to properly evaluate real-world emissions.

“These findings show, without question, that the difference in lab and actual PHEV energy use and CO₂ output is significantly greater than for gasoline or conventional vehicles,” the expert stated. “All policy changes regarding PHEVs should be implemented with extreme caution and in the light of this evidence.”