🔗 Share this article

Plug-in hybrid cars release almost 5x more global warming pollution than lab-reported data show, as per a new report.

Growing Discrepancy In Lab and Actual Emissions

Statistics reveals that PHEVs release just one-fifth lower CO₂ than traditional petrol and diesel vehicles, according to analysis carried out by a advocacy organization. This differs significantly with laboratory estimates, which suggested a three-quarters reduction in pollution.

Analysts studied information from onboard fuel consumption monitors of eight hundred thousand cars sold in the EU between 2021 and 2023. They discovered that real-world CO₂ output from PHEVs in 2023 were nearly five times greater than lab estimates, increased from 3.5 times in 2021.

“Actual emissions are rising, while official emissions are decreasing,” stated a lead researcher participating in the report. “That discrepancy is widening and creates a significant problem. As a result, PHEVs pollute nearly as much as petrol vehicles.”

Primary Reasons Behind the Emissions Gap

Researchers linked the majority of the gap to inflated estimates of the “utility factor” – the percentage of kilometers travelled in electric power relative to total mileage. They determined that only 27% of travel was completed in electric mode, whereas official assumptions suggested over four-fifths.

Additionally, when operating in EV mode, emission levels were well above official projections. That happened because EV motors were insufficiently powerful sufficient to function independently, leading to engines using fossil fuels for nearly one-third of the distance completed in EV mode.

Policy and Financial Implications

According to calculations, the lowballing of PHEV emissions enabled several major carmaker companies to avoid more than €5bn in penalties from 2021 and 2023, by falsely simplifying compliance with European Union average fleet CO₂ standards.

Additionally, owners of PHEVs could pay about €500 more annually in operating expenses than is assumed under lab conditions.

“The bold claims that automakers like to make about their PHEV vehicles are clearly way off the mark,” commented a automotive analyst. “Buyers are being misled into believing that by buying a PHEV, they are helping the environment and saving money. Actually, PHEVs are little better than regular petrol and diesel cars in terms of fuel use, CO₂ emissions, and operating costs.”

Political Debate and Industry Pressure

Plug-in hybrid vehicles have recently been drawn back into political discussions as automakers have pressed the European Union to relax CO₂ standards. A proposed ban on sales of new combustion engine cars in 2035 has faced heavy lobbying from the car sector and resistance from EU countries with large car industries.

Several senior politicians have proposed PHEVs as a potential “flexibility” solution to introduce in the regulation.

One independent energy policy specialist, who was unaffiliated with the research, called the analysis a “highly valuable addition” after years in which parts of the car industry claimed there was too little information to properly evaluate real-world emissions.

“The results show, beyond any doubt, that the gap between official and actual PHEV fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions is significantly greater than for petrol or conventional vehicles,” they stated. “Any policy adjustments concerning PHEVs should be made with extreme caution and in the light of that data.”