🔗 Share this article

PHEVs release almost five times more planet-heating emissions than official data show, according to a recent report.

Widening Discrepancy In Official and Real-World Emissions

Statistics reveals that PHEVs release just one-fifth lower CO₂ than conventional gas and diesel cars, according to research carried out by a non-profit organization. This contrasts sharply with lab tests, which assumed a 75% reduction in pollution.

Analysts studied data from onboard energy use monitors of 800,000 cars sold in Europe from 2021 and 2023. The team discovered that actual CO₂ output from PHEVs in 2023 were nearly five times higher than official estimates, increased from 3.5 times in 2021.

“Actual emissions are rising, while lab-reported emissions are decreasing,” stated a senior researcher participating in the study. “This discrepancy is growing and poses a serious problem. Consequently, PHEVs pollute nearly as heavily as petrol cars.”

Key Factors Driving the Emissions Gap

Analysts linked the majority of the gap to inflated estimates of the “electric driving share” – the ratio of kilometers travelled in battery power relative to overall mileage. The team determined that just a quarter of travel was done in electric mode, whereas lab assumptions assumed 84%.

Additionally, when operating in electric mode, pollution levels were well above lab projections. That occurred because EV motors were insufficiently powerful enough to function alone, leading to combustion motors burning fossil fuels for nearly a third of the travel covered in EV mode.

Policy and Economic Consequences

Based on calculations, the lowballing of PHEV CO2 output allowed several major carmaker companies to escape over €5bn in fines from 2021 and 2023, by artificially easing adherence with EU average fleet CO₂ targets.

Furthermore, owners of PHEVs would pay about €500 more annually in operating costs than would be estimated under lab conditions.

“The strong statements that manufacturers often promote about their PHEV cars are obviously way off the truth,” commented a automotive analyst. “Buyers are being duped into believing that by buying a PHEV, they are benefiting the planet and cutting costs. In reality, PHEVs are little better than regular gas and diesel vehicles in terms of energy use, CO₂ production, and running costs.”

Policy Discussion and Industry Lobbying

Hybrid vehicles have lately been brought again into political discussions as automakers have pressed the European Union to weaken CO₂ standards. A planned ban on sales of new combustion engine vehicles in 2035 has faced intense pressure from the car industry and resistance from member states with significant car manufacturing.

Several high-level politicians have proposed PHEVs as a potential “flexibility” option to include in the regulation.

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

“The results demonstrate, beyond any doubt, that the gap in official and real-world PHEV fuel consumption and CO₂ output is much, much greater than for petrol or diesel vehicles,” they said. “Any policy changes concerning PHEVs should be implemented with utmost care and considering that evidence.”