Plug in Hybrid electric Vehicles Pollute Almost as Much as Petrol Vehicles, Report Reveals

PHEVs produce nearly five times more global warming pollution than official figures show, as per a new analysis.

Widening Discrepancy In Lab and Real-World Emissions

Statistics reveals that PHEVs release only 19% lower CO₂ than traditional gas and diesel vehicles, according to analysis carried out by a non-profit group. This contrasts sharply with lab tests, which assumed a 75% reduction in pollution.

Researchers studied data from in-vehicle energy use meters of eight hundred thousand vehicles sold in the EU from 2021 and 2023. They found that real-world CO₂ output from PHEVs in 2023 were 4.9 times greater than official estimates, up from three and a half times in 2021.

“Real-world emissions are increasing, while official figures are decreasing,” said a senior analyst participating in the study. “That gap is growing and poses a serious issue. As a result, PHEVs emit nearly as much as gasoline cars.”

Primary Reasons Driving the Discrepancy

Researchers attributed the majority of the gap to inflated estimates of the “utility factor” – the percentage of kilometers travelled in battery mode relative to total distance. They found that only a quarter of travel was done in EV mode, while official estimates assumed over four-fifths.

Even, when running in EV mode, emission amounts were well above lab estimates. That occurred because EV motors were insufficiently powerful sufficient to operate independently, resulting to combustion motors using fossil fuels for almost a third of the travel completed in EV mode.

Policy and Financial Implications

According to calculations, the lowballing of PHEV CO2 output enabled four major carmaker groups to avoid over €5bn in fines from 2021 and 2023, by falsely simplifying adherence with EU average fleet CO₂ targets.

Additionally, drivers of PHEVs could spend about €500 extra annually in operating expenses than would be assumed under laboratory tests.

“The bold claims that manufacturers like to make about their plug-in hybrid cars are obviously way off the truth,” commented a automotive analyst. “Consumers are being duped into believing that by purchasing a PHEV, they are helping the environment and cutting costs. Actually, PHEVs are only slightly better than regular gas and diesel vehicles in terms of fuel use, CO₂ production, and operating costs.”

Political Discussion and Automotive Pressure

Hybrid cars have lately been drawn again into policy debates as carmakers have lobbied the European Union to weaken CO₂ standards. A proposed prohibition on new combustion engine vehicles in 2035 has faced intense lobbying from the car sector and resistance from member states with significant car industries.

Several high-level officials have proposed PHEVs as a potential “flexibility” option to include in the legislation.

An independent energy policy expert, who was not involved with the study, described the analysis a “very useful contribution” after years in which segments of the automotive industry claimed there was too little information to properly evaluate real-world CO2 output.

“These findings demonstrate, without question, that the gap between lab and real-world PHEV energy use and CO₂ emissions is significantly greater than for gasoline or diesel cars,” they said. “All policy adjustments concerning PHEVs should be made with extreme caution and considering that data.”