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PHEVs produce almost five times greater global warming emissions than official figures indicate, according to a recent report.

Widening Discrepancy Between Lab and Real-World Emissions

Statistics reveals that PHEVs release just 19% less CO₂ than conventional petrol and diesel cars, based on research conducted by a advocacy group. That contrasts significantly with lab estimates, which assumed a 75% decrease in pollution.

Analysts examined data from onboard energy use meters of 800,000 vehicles registered in Europe from 2021 and 2023. They discovered that actual CO₂ output from PHEVs in 2023 were nearly five times greater than official figures, increased from 3.5 times in 2021.

“Real-world emissions are increasing, while lab-reported figures are falling,” stated a lead analyst involved in the report. “That discrepancy is widening and poses a serious issue. As a result, PHEVs emit nearly as heavily as petrol cars.”

Primary Reasons Behind the Emissions Gap

Researchers attributed the majority of the gap to inflated estimates of the “electric driving share” – the percentage of kilometers travelled in electric mode compared to overall distance. They determined that just a quarter of driving was completed in EV mode, while lab assumptions assumed 84%.

Even, when running in electric mode, emission levels were well above lab projections. That occurred because electric motors were not strong sufficient to function alone, resulting to combustion motors using gasoline for almost a third of the travel covered in EV mode.

Regulatory and Financial Implications

According to estimates, the lowballing of PHEV emissions allowed four large carmaker companies to avoid over €5bn in penalties from 2021 and 2023, by artificially easing adherence with EU average fleet CO₂ targets.

Furthermore, drivers of PHEVs would pay about €500 more annually in running costs than is assumed under laboratory conditions.

“The strong claims that automakers often promote about their plug-in hybrid cars are clearly far from the mark,” commented a transport analyst. “Buyers are being duped into believing that by buying a PHEV, they are benefiting the planet and saving costs. In reality, PHEVs are little better than standard gas and diesel cars in terms of fuel consumption, CO₂ emissions, and operating costs.”

Political Discussion and Industry Pressure

Plug-in hybrid cars have lately been drawn back into policy discussions as carmakers have pressed the European Union to weaken CO₂ targets. A planned prohibition on new combustion engine vehicles in 2035 has faced intense lobbying from the automotive sector and resistance from EU countries with large car manufacturing.

Some senior politicians have proposed PHEVs as a possible “compromise” solution to include in the legislation.

One external energy policy expert, who was unaffiliated with the study, described the analysis a “highly valuable addition” after a long period in which parts of the car industry argued there was too little information to properly assess actual CO2 output.

“These findings demonstrate, beyond any doubt, that the difference in lab and actual PHEV fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions is much, much greater than for petrol or diesel cars,” they said. “All regulatory adjustments concerning PHEVs should be implemented with utmost caution and in the light of that data.”