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Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles emit nearly five times more planet-heating emissions than official data show, as per a recent report.

Widening Gap In Official and Actual Emissions

Statistics shows that PHEVs emit just one-fifth less CO₂ than traditional petrol and diesel cars, according to research carried out by a advocacy organization. This differs significantly with laboratory tests, which assumed a 75% reduction in emissions.

Researchers studied data from onboard fuel consumption meters of eight hundred thousand cars registered in Europe from 2021 and 2023. The team found that actual CO₂ emissions from PHEVs in 2023 were 4.9 times greater than official estimates, increased from 3.5 times in 2021.

“Actual CO2 output are increasing, while lab-reported emissions are falling,” said a senior analyst involved in the report. “This discrepancy is growing and poses a serious issue. As a result, PHEVs emit almost as much as petrol cars.”

Key Reasons Driving the Emissions Gap

Researchers linked most of the gap to overestimates of the “utility factor” – the percentage of miles driven in electric power relative to total mileage. They found that only 27% of travel was done in electric mode, whereas official estimates assumed 84%.

Even, when operating in electric mode, pollution amounts were well above lab estimates. That occurred because electric motors were insufficiently powerful sufficient to function alone, leading to combustion motors burning gasoline for nearly a third of the distance covered in EV mode.

Regulatory and Economic Consequences

According to estimates, the lowballing of PHEV CO2 output enabled several large automaker companies to escape more than €5bn in penalties between 2021 and 2023, by artificially simplifying adherence with European Union average fleet CO₂ targets.

Furthermore, drivers of PHEVs would pay about €500 extra per year in running costs than would be assumed under lab conditions.

“The bold claims that automakers often promote about their plug-in hybrid vehicles are obviously way off the truth,” commented a transport expert. “Consumers are being misled into believing that by purchasing a PHEV, they are benefiting the planet and saving costs. In reality, PHEVs are only slightly improved than standard gas and diesel cars in terms of fuel consumption, CO₂ production, and running expenses.”

Political Discussion and Automotive Lobbying

Plug-in hybrid vehicles have recently been brought again into political debates as automakers have lobbied the EU to relax CO₂ targets. A planned prohibition on new combustion engine vehicles in 2035 has faced intense lobbying from the car sector and opposition from member states with significant automotive manufacturing.

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

One independent energy economics specialist, who was not involved with the study, called the analysis a “highly valuable contribution” after years in which parts of the automotive sector claimed there was insufficient information to accurately evaluate actual CO2 output.

“The results demonstrate, beyond any doubt, that the difference between lab and actual PHEV fuel consumption and CO₂ output is significantly larger than for gasoline or conventional cars,” they stated. “Any policy adjustments concerning PHEVs should be implemented with utmost care and considering that data.”