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PHEVs release almost 5x more planet-heating pollution than official data show, as per a recent report.

Widening Discrepancy In Official and Actual CO2 Output

Statistics shows that PHEVs release just 19% lower CO₂ than traditional gas and diesel vehicles, according to analysis carried out by a advocacy organization. That contrasts significantly with laboratory estimates, which suggested a three-quarters reduction in pollution.

Analysts studied information from in-vehicle energy use monitors of eight hundred thousand vehicles sold in Europe between 2021 and 2023. They found that actual CO₂ output from PHEVs in 2023 were 4.9 times greater than lab estimates, up from three and a half times in 2021.

“Actual CO2 output are rising, while official emissions are decreasing,” said a senior researcher involved in the report. “That gap is widening and poses a serious problem. As a result, PHEVs emit nearly as much as gasoline vehicles.”

Primary Factors Driving the Emissions Gap

Analysts linked most of the gap to inflated estimates of the “utility factor” – the ratio of miles driven in battery power relative to overall mileage. They found that just a quarter of driving was completed in EV mode, whereas official estimates suggested over four-fifths.

Additionally, when operating in EV mode, emission amounts were significantly higher than official projections. This occurred because electric motors were insufficiently powerful sufficient to operate independently, resulting to combustion motors using gasoline for nearly a third of the travel completed in electric mode.

Regulatory and Economic Implications

Based on estimates, the lowballing of PHEV emissions enabled four large carmaker groups to escape over €5bn in penalties between 2021 and 2023, by artificially easing adherence with EU average fleet CO₂ targets.

Additionally, owners of PHEVs would pay approximately €500 more per year in operating expenses than would be assumed under laboratory conditions.

“The bold claims that manufacturers like to make about their PHEV vehicles are obviously far from the mark,” stated a automotive expert. “Consumers are being duped into thinking that by purchasing a PHEV, they are helping the environment and saving money. In reality, PHEVs are little improved than regular gas and diesel cars in terms of fuel consumption, CO₂ production, and operating costs.”

Policy Debate and Automotive Pressure

Hybrid cars have recently been brought back into policy debates as carmakers have lobbied the European Union to weaken CO₂ targets. A proposed ban on sales of new internal combustion vehicles in 2035 has faced heavy lobbying from the car sector and opposition from member states with significant automotive manufacturing.

Several high-level officials have proposed plug-in hybrids as a potential “compromise” solution to include in the regulation.

One independent energy policy expert, who was not involved with the study, described the analysis a “highly valuable contribution” after a long period in which segments of the automotive sector argued there was insufficient information to accurately assess real-world emissions.

“These findings show, beyond any doubt, that the gap between official and actual PHEV energy use and CO₂ output is significantly larger than for gasoline or diesel cars,” the expert stated. “All regulatory adjustments concerning PHEVs should be made with extreme caution and considering this data.”