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PHEVs release almost 5x more planet-heating emissions than official data show, as per a new analysis.

Widening Discrepancy In Official and Actual CO2 Output

Data shows that PHEVs release just one-fifth lower CO₂ than traditional gas and diesel cars, according to research conducted by a advocacy group. This differs significantly with laboratory tests, which suggested a three-quarters decrease in emissions.

Researchers studied information from onboard energy use meters of eight hundred thousand cars registered in Europe from 2021 and 2023. The team found that real-world CO₂ emissions from PHEVs in 2023 were 4.9 times higher than lab estimates, increased from three and a half times in 2021.

“Actual emissions are increasing, while official emissions are decreasing,” stated a senior researcher participating in the report. “That gap is widening and poses a significant problem. As a result, PHEVs emit nearly as heavily as gasoline cars.”

Key Factors Behind the Discrepancy

Analysts linked the majority of the difference to overestimates of the “electric driving share” – the percentage of miles driven in electric power relative to overall mileage. They found that just 27% of travel was completed in electric mode, whereas lab assumptions suggested over four-fifths.

Even, when operating in EV mode, pollution amounts were well above official estimates. This happened because EV motors were insufficiently powerful enough to operate independently, resulting to engines burning gasoline for nearly one-third of the travel covered in EV mode.

Policy and Economic Implications

According to calculations, the lowballing of PHEV emissions allowed several major automaker companies to avoid over €5bn in fines between 2021 and 2023, by falsely easing compliance with European Union fleet-average CO₂ standards.

Additionally, drivers of PHEVs could spend about €500 more per year in running expenses than would be estimated under laboratory conditions.

“The strong claims that automakers like to make about their plug-in hybrid cars are clearly far from the truth,” commented a automotive analyst. “Buyers are being duped into thinking that by purchasing a PHEV, they are helping the planet and saving money. Actually, PHEVs are little improved than regular gas and diesel cars in terms of energy use, CO₂ emissions, and running costs.”

Policy Debate and Automotive Lobbying

Plug-in hybrid cars have recently been brought back into political debates as carmakers have pressed the European Union to relax CO₂ targets. A proposed ban on sales of new internal combustion cars in 2035 has faced heavy pressure from the automotive sector and opposition from EU countries with significant car manufacturing.

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

An external energy policy expert, who was unaffiliated with the study, called the report a “very useful contribution” after a long period in which parts of the automotive sector argued there was insufficient data to accurately assess actual CO2 output.

“These findings demonstrate, beyond any doubt, that the difference between official and actual PHEV energy use and CO₂ output is significantly greater than for gasoline or conventional vehicles,” they stated. “Any policy adjustments concerning PHEVs should be made with extreme care and in the light of that data.”