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PHEVs release nearly five times greater global warming pollution than official figures indicate, as per a recent report.

Growing Gap In Official and Real-World Emissions

Data reveals that PHEVs release just one-fifth less CO₂ than traditional petrol and diesel cars, based on analysis conducted by a non-profit organization. This contrasts significantly with laboratory estimates, which suggested a 75% reduction in emissions.

Analysts studied data from onboard fuel consumption meters of 800,000 vehicles sold in the EU from 2021 and 2023. They found that actual CO₂ output from PHEVs in 2023 were 4.9 times higher than lab estimates, up from three and a half times in 2021.

“Actual CO2 output are rising, while official emissions are decreasing,” stated a lead analyst involved in the report. “This gap is growing and poses a serious issue. As a result, PHEVs emit almost as much as gasoline vehicles.”

Key Factors Driving the Discrepancy

Analysts linked most of the difference to overestimates of the “electric driving share” – the percentage of miles driven in electric power compared to total distance. They determined that just a quarter of travel was done in electric mode, whereas official assumptions suggested over four-fifths.

Even, when operating in electric mode, pollution levels were well above lab estimates. That happened because EV motors were insufficiently powerful enough to function independently, leading to combustion motors using gasoline for almost one-third of the travel covered in EV mode.

Policy and Economic Consequences

Based on calculations, the lowballing of PHEV emissions allowed 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.

Furthermore, drivers of PHEVs could spend about €500 extra per year in running expenses than would be estimated under lab tests.

“The strong claims that automakers often promote about their PHEV cars are clearly far from the mark,” stated a automotive expert. “Buyers are being duped into thinking that by purchasing a PHEV, they are benefiting the planet and cutting costs. In reality, PHEVs are only slightly better than standard gas and diesel cars in terms of energy consumption, CO₂ emissions, and running expenses.”

Policy Debate and Automotive Pressure

Hybrid cars have lately been drawn back into political discussions as automakers have pressed the EU to relax CO₂ standards. A proposed ban on sales of new internal combustion vehicles in 2035 has faced heavy pressure from the car industry and resistance from member states with large automotive manufacturing.

Several high-level officials have suggested PHEVs as a possible “compromise” option to introduce in the legislation.

One external energy economics expert, who was not involved with the research, called the report a “highly valuable contribution” after years in which parts of the automotive industry claimed there was too little data to properly evaluate actual emissions.

“These findings demonstrate, beyond any doubt, that the difference between lab and real-world PHEV energy use and CO₂ output is much, much greater than for gasoline or diesel vehicles,” the expert said. “All regulatory changes concerning PHEVs should be implemented with extreme caution and considering that data.”