🔗 Share this article

PHEVs release nearly 5x more planet-heating emissions than official figures indicate, according to a recent analysis.

Growing Gap Between Official and Actual CO2 Output

Statistics reveals that PHEVs emit only 19% less CO₂ than conventional petrol and diesel vehicles, based on analysis conducted by a advocacy organization. This contrasts significantly with lab estimates, which suggested a 75% reduction in pollution.

Analysts examined information from onboard fuel consumption meters of 800,000 vehicles sold in Europe between 2021 and 2023. They found that actual CO₂ emissions from PHEVs in 2023 were nearly five times greater than official estimates, increased from 3.5 times in 2021.

“Real-world CO2 output are rising, while official emissions are decreasing,” stated a lead researcher participating in the report. “That discrepancy is growing and creates a serious problem. As a result, PHEVs pollute almost as heavily as gasoline cars.”

Primary Factors Behind the Discrepancy

Analysts linked most of the difference to inflated estimates of the “electric driving share” – the percentage of miles travelled in battery mode relative to total mileage. They determined that only 27% of travel was completed in electric mode, while lab assumptions assumed over four-fifths.

Even, when operating in EV mode, emission amounts were well above official projections. This occurred because electric motors were insufficiently powerful sufficient to operate alone, leading to engines using gasoline for nearly a third of the distance completed in EV mode.

Regulatory and Financial Implications

According to estimates, the underestimation of PHEV emissions allowed four large carmaker companies to avoid more than €5bn in penalties from 2021 and 2023, by artificially simplifying compliance with EU average fleet CO₂ targets.

Additionally, drivers of PHEVs would pay about €500 more annually in running expenses than would be estimated under laboratory tests.

“The strong claims that automakers like to make about their plug-in hybrid cars are clearly far from the mark,” commented a automotive analyst. “Buyers are being duped into thinking that by buying a PHEV, they are helping the environment and saving money. In reality, PHEVs are only slightly improved than standard gas and diesel vehicles in terms of fuel consumption, CO₂ production, and running expenses.”

Political Discussion and Industry Lobbying

Hybrid vehicles have lately been brought again into policy debates as automakers have lobbied the EU to relax CO₂ standards. A planned prohibition on new internal combustion cars in 2035 has faced heavy pressure from the car sector and resistance from member states with large automotive manufacturing.

Several senior politicians have proposed PHEVs as a possible “compromise” option to include in the regulation.

An external energy policy expert, who was not involved with the research, called the analysis a “very useful contribution” after years in which parts of the automotive sector claimed there was insufficient information to properly assess actual emissions.

“The results show, beyond any doubt, that the gap in lab and actual PHEV energy use and CO₂ output is significantly greater than for petrol or diesel vehicles,” they stated. “All policy changes regarding PHEVs should be made with extreme care and in the light of that data.”