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PHEVs emit almost 5x more global warming emissions than official data show, as per a recent analysis.

Growing Discrepancy Between Lab and Real-World CO2 Output

Statistics reveals that PHEVs emit just 19% lower CO₂ than traditional petrol and diesel vehicles, according to research conducted by a non-profit group. This contrasts sharply with lab estimates, which assumed a 75% decrease in pollution.

Researchers studied data from onboard fuel consumption meters of eight hundred thousand cars sold in Europe from 2021 and 2023. The team discovered that actual CO₂ output from PHEVs in 2023 were nearly five times higher than lab figures, up from 3.5 times in 2021.

“Actual emissions are rising, while official figures are decreasing,” stated a lead researcher involved in the report. “That gap is widening and poses a significant problem. As a result, PHEVs pollute nearly as heavily as gasoline vehicles.”

Primary Reasons Driving the Discrepancy

Analysts linked the majority of the gap to inflated estimates of the “utility factor” – the percentage of kilometers travelled in battery mode relative to total distance. The team found that just a quarter of travel was completed in electric mode, while lab assumptions suggested 84%.

Even, when running in EV mode, emission amounts were well above lab projections. That happened because EV motors were insufficiently powerful sufficient to function independently, leading to combustion motors burning gasoline for nearly one-third of the travel completed in electric mode.

Regulatory and Economic Consequences

Based on estimates, the lowballing of PHEV CO2 output enabled four large automaker companies to avoid more than €5bn in penalties between 2021 and 2023, by artificially simplifying adherence with European Union average fleet CO₂ standards.

Additionally, owners of PHEVs would pay about €500 extra per year in running expenses than is estimated under laboratory conditions.

“The bold statements that manufacturers often promote about their PHEV vehicles are clearly way off the truth,” stated a automotive analyst. “Buyers are being misled into believing that by purchasing a PHEV, they are benefiting the planet and cutting costs. Actually, PHEVs are little improved than standard gas and diesel vehicles in terms of energy consumption, CO₂ production, and running expenses.”

Political Debate and Automotive Pressure

Plug-in hybrid vehicles have recently been brought again into political debates as carmakers have pressed the EU to relax CO₂ targets. A proposed ban on new internal combustion cars in 2035 has faced heavy pressure from the automotive industry and opposition from member states with significant automotive manufacturing.

Some high-level politicians have proposed PHEVs as a possible “flexibility” solution to introduce in the legislation.

One external energy economics expert, who was unaffiliated with the study, described the analysis a “very useful contribution” after years in which segments of the car sector argued there was insufficient data to properly evaluate actual emissions.

“These findings demonstrate, without question, that the difference between lab and actual PHEV fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions is much, much greater than for gasoline or conventional vehicles,” they stated. “Any policy changes concerning PHEVs should be made with extreme caution and considering this data.”