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PHEVs emit almost 5x greater global warming emissions than official figures indicate, as per a recent report.

Growing Gap Between Lab and Real-World Emissions

Statistics shows that PHEVs release only one-fifth lower CO₂ than traditional gas and diesel vehicles, according to analysis conducted by a advocacy group. That differs significantly with laboratory tests, which suggested a 75% decrease in pollution.

Researchers examined data from onboard fuel consumption meters of eight hundred thousand vehicles registered in the EU from 2021 and 2023. The team discovered that real-world CO₂ emissions from PHEVs in 2023 were 4.9 times higher than lab figures, increased from three and a half times in 2021.

“Real-world CO2 output are increasing, while official emissions are falling,” said a lead analyst participating in the study. “This gap is growing and creates a significant problem. Consequently, PHEVs emit nearly as much as petrol cars.”

Primary Factors Driving the Emissions Gap

Researchers attributed most of the difference to inflated estimates of the “electric driving share” – the percentage of kilometers driven in battery mode relative to total mileage. They determined that only a quarter of travel was completed in electric mode, while lab estimates suggested over four-fifths.

Additionally, when running in EV mode, pollution amounts were well above lab projections. That happened because EV motors were insufficiently powerful sufficient to operate independently, leading to combustion motors burning fossil fuels for almost one-third of the distance covered in EV mode.

Policy and Economic Consequences

According to estimates, the lowballing of PHEV CO2 output enabled several major carmaker companies to avoid over €5bn in penalties between 2021 and 2023, by falsely easing compliance with EU average fleet CO₂ targets.

Furthermore, owners of PHEVs could pay approximately €500 more per year in operating costs than is assumed under lab tests.

“The strong statements that manufacturers like to make about their PHEV cars are obviously way off the truth,” commented a automotive expert. “Buyers are being misled into thinking that by purchasing a PHEV, they are helping the environment and cutting costs. In reality, PHEVs are little improved than regular petrol and diesel vehicles in terms of fuel use, CO₂ production, and operating costs.”

Political Discussion and Industry Lobbying

Plug-in hybrid vehicles have lately been drawn again into political debates as carmakers have lobbied the European Union to relax CO₂ standards. A planned prohibition on sales of new internal combustion vehicles in 2035 has faced intense lobbying from the car industry and opposition from member states with large automotive manufacturing.

Some high-level politicians have suggested plug-in hybrids as a possible “flexibility” solution to introduce in the regulation.

An external energy economics specialist, who was not involved with the study, called the analysis a “highly valuable contribution” after a long period in which segments of the car sector claimed there was too little information to properly evaluate real-world CO2 output.

“These findings show, beyond any doubt, that the gap in official and actual PHEV energy use and CO₂ output is much, much larger than for petrol or diesel cars,” they said. “All regulatory changes regarding PHEVs should be made with utmost caution and considering that data.”