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Plug-in hybrid cars produce almost five times more planet-heating emissions than official data show, as per a recent report.

Growing Discrepancy Between Official and Real-World Emissions

Data reveals that PHEVs release just 19% lower CO₂ than traditional gas and diesel cars, based on analysis carried out by a advocacy organization. That contrasts sharply with lab tests, which suggested a three-quarters decrease in emissions.

Researchers examined data from in-vehicle fuel consumption meters of eight hundred thousand cars registered in Europe between 2021 and 2023. The team discovered that actual CO₂ output from PHEVs in 2023 were nearly five times greater than official estimates, up from three and a half times in 2021.

“Actual emissions are rising, while official emissions are falling,” stated a lead researcher involved in the study. “That discrepancy is growing and poses a serious problem. As a result, PHEVs emit almost as heavily as gasoline vehicles.”

Primary Factors Behind the Emissions Gap

Researchers linked most of the gap to overestimates of the “utility factor” – the percentage of kilometers travelled in electric mode compared to overall mileage. The team found that just 27% of travel was done in EV mode, whereas lab assumptions assumed over four-fifths.

Additionally, when running in EV mode, pollution amounts were significantly higher than lab estimates. This happened because electric motors were insufficiently powerful enough to operate alone, resulting to engines using fossil fuels for nearly one-third of the travel completed in electric mode.

Policy and Economic Consequences

According to calculations, the lowballing of PHEV emissions enabled four major carmaker companies to avoid more than €5bn in fines from 2021 and 2023, by falsely easing adherence with EU average fleet CO₂ targets.

Additionally, drivers of PHEVs would pay about €500 more annually in running costs than would be assumed under laboratory tests.

“The strong claims that automakers like to make about their PHEV vehicles are clearly far from the truth,” stated a transport expert. “Buyers are being duped into believing that by buying a PHEV, they are benefiting the environment and cutting costs. Actually, PHEVs are little better than standard gas and diesel vehicles in terms of fuel use, CO₂ production, and operating costs.”

Political Discussion and Automotive Lobbying

Hybrid cars have lately been drawn back into political discussions as carmakers have lobbied the European Union to relax CO₂ targets. A planned prohibition on new combustion engine cars in 2035 has faced intense pressure from the car sector and resistance from member states with large automotive industries.

Several senior officials have proposed PHEVs as a possible “flexibility” option to include in the regulation.

An independent energy policy specialist, who was unaffiliated with the study, called the report a “very useful addition” after years in which segments of the car sector argued there was too little information to accurately evaluate actual emissions.

“These findings demonstrate, without question, that the gap in official and actual PHEV energy use and CO₂ output is significantly greater than for gasoline or diesel vehicles,” they said. “Any regulatory adjustments concerning PHEVs should be implemented with utmost care and considering this evidence.”