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PHEVs release nearly 5x more planet-heating pollution than official data show, as per a new report.

Widening Discrepancy In Lab and Actual CO2 Output

Data reveals that PHEVs release just 19% lower CO₂ than conventional gas and diesel cars, based on analysis carried out by a advocacy organization. This contrasts sharply with lab tests, which assumed a 75% reduction in pollution.

Researchers examined data from in-vehicle energy use meters of 800,000 cars sold in the EU between 2021 and 2023. The team discovered that real-world CO₂ emissions from PHEVs in 2023 were 4.9 times higher than official figures, increased from three and a half times in 2021.

“Actual emissions are increasing, while lab-reported emissions are falling,” said a lead researcher involved in the report. “That discrepancy is growing and poses a serious problem. As a result, PHEVs emit nearly as heavily as gasoline vehicles.”

Key Reasons Driving the Discrepancy

Analysts attributed the majority of the difference to overestimates of the “utility factor” – the percentage of miles driven in electric mode compared to total distance. They found that just 27% of driving was completed in EV mode, whereas official estimates suggested over four-fifths.

Even, when operating in EV mode, emission amounts were significantly higher than lab projections. This happened because electric motors were not strong sufficient to operate independently, resulting to combustion motors burning fossil fuels for nearly one-third of the distance covered in EV mode.

Regulatory and Financial Implications

Based on calculations, the underestimation of PHEV emissions enabled four major automaker companies to escape more than €5bn in penalties between 2021 and 2023, by falsely easing adherence with EU average fleet CO₂ standards.

Additionally, owners of PHEVs could pay about €500 extra annually in running expenses than would be estimated under lab tests.

“The bold claims that manufacturers like to make about their plug-in hybrid cars are obviously way off the mark,” commented a automotive analyst. “Buyers are being misled into believing that by buying a PHEV, they are helping the planet and cutting money. In reality, PHEVs are only slightly improved than regular gas and diesel cars in terms of energy consumption, CO₂ production, and operating costs.”

Policy Debate and Industry Lobbying

Hybrid vehicles have recently been brought again into policy discussions as automakers have pressed the EU to relax CO₂ targets. A planned prohibition on new internal combustion cars in 2035 has faced heavy lobbying from the car industry and opposition from member states with large car industries.

Several senior officials have proposed plug-in hybrids as a potential “flexibility” option to introduce in the regulation.

One external energy economics expert, who was not involved with the research, described the report a “highly valuable addition” after years in which segments of the automotive sector claimed there was insufficient data to accurately assess actual CO2 output.

“The results demonstrate, beyond any doubt, that the gap in lab and actual PHEV fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions is significantly greater than for gasoline or diesel vehicles,” the expert said. “Any policy adjustments concerning PHEVs should be implemented with extreme caution and in the light of this evidence.”