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

Widening Gap Between Official and Actual Emissions

Statistics reveals that PHEVs release just one-fifth lower CO₂ than traditional petrol and diesel cars, based on analysis conducted by a advocacy organization. This contrasts significantly with laboratory estimates, which suggested a three-quarters decrease in pollution.

Researchers examined information from in-vehicle energy use meters of eight hundred thousand cars sold in the EU between 2021 and 2023. The team found that actual CO₂ emissions from PHEVs in 2023 were nearly five times greater than official figures, up from 3.5 times in 2021.

“Real-world emissions are increasing, while official figures are falling,” stated a senior analyst participating in the report. “This discrepancy is growing and poses a significant problem. As a result, PHEVs emit almost as heavily as gasoline cars.”

Key Factors Behind the Emissions Gap

Researchers attributed most of the difference to overestimates of the “electric driving share” – the ratio of kilometers driven in electric power relative to overall mileage. The team found that only 27% of travel was done in EV mode, whereas official assumptions assumed 84%.

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

Policy and Financial Consequences

Based on calculations, the underestimation of PHEV emissions allowed several large automaker groups to avoid more than €5bn in penalties between 2021 and 2023, by artificially easing adherence with EU average fleet CO₂ targets.

Furthermore, drivers of PHEVs could pay approximately €500 more per year in running expenses than is estimated under laboratory conditions.

“The bold claims that manufacturers like to make about their plug-in hybrid vehicles are obviously way off the mark,” stated a automotive analyst. “Buyers are being misled into believing that by purchasing a PHEV, they are helping the planet and saving costs. In reality, PHEVs are little improved than regular petrol and diesel vehicles in terms of energy consumption, CO₂ emissions, and running expenses.”

Policy Discussion and Automotive Pressure

Hybrid cars have lately been brought again into political debates as carmakers have pressed the European Union to relax CO₂ targets. A proposed ban on new internal combustion vehicles in 2035 has faced intense pressure from the car industry and resistance from member states with significant automotive industries.

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

An external energy policy specialist, who was unaffiliated with the study, called the report a “very useful addition” after years in which parts of the automotive industry claimed there was too little information to properly evaluate actual emissions.

“The results show, without question, that the gap in official and actual PHEV fuel consumption and CO₂ output is much, much larger than for petrol or conventional vehicles,” the expert said. “Any regulatory adjustments concerning PHEVs should be made with utmost caution and considering this data.”