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PHEVs produce nearly five times greater global warming pollution than official figures show, as per a recent report.

Widening Discrepancy In Lab and Real-World Emissions

Data shows that PHEVs release just 19% less CO₂ than conventional gas and diesel vehicles, according to research conducted by a non-profit organization. This differs sharply with lab estimates, which suggested a 75% decrease in pollution.

Analysts examined data from onboard energy use monitors of 800,000 vehicles sold in the EU between 2021 and 2023. The team discovered that real-world CO₂ emissions from PHEVs in 2023 were nearly five times higher than lab estimates, increased from 3.5 times in 2021.

“Real-world emissions are rising, while lab-reported figures are decreasing,” said a lead analyst involved in the report. “This gap is growing and poses a significant issue. As a result, PHEVs emit almost as much as gasoline vehicles.”

Key Factors Behind the Discrepancy

Analysts linked the majority of the gap to inflated estimates of the “utility factor” – the ratio of miles driven in battery mode compared to overall distance. They found that just 27% of travel was done in electric mode, while lab assumptions assumed 84%.

Additionally, when running in EV mode, emission amounts were well above lab estimates. This occurred because EV motors were insufficiently powerful enough to operate alone, resulting to combustion motors burning gasoline for almost one-third of the travel completed in electric mode.

Policy and Financial Implications

According to calculations, the lowballing of PHEV CO2 output enabled several major carmaker groups to escape over €5bn in fines between 2021 and 2023, by falsely easing compliance with EU average fleet CO₂ standards.

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

“The strong claims that manufacturers often promote about their plug-in hybrid vehicles are obviously way off the truth,” commented a automotive analyst. “Consumers are being misled into thinking that by purchasing a PHEV, they are benefiting the environment and cutting money. In reality, PHEVs are only slightly better than regular petrol and diesel vehicles in terms of fuel use, CO₂ emissions, and running expenses.”

Political Debate and Industry Lobbying

Plug-in hybrid cars have recently been brought again into political discussions as carmakers have pressed the EU to weaken CO₂ targets. A planned prohibition on new internal combustion vehicles in 2035 has faced intense pressure from the automotive industry and resistance from member states with significant automotive manufacturing.

Some senior officials have suggested plug-in hybrids as a potential “flexibility” solution to introduce in the regulation.

One independent energy economics expert, who was not involved with the study, called the report a “very useful addition” after a long period in which parts of the automotive sector argued there was too little data to accurately assess real-world emissions.

“The results show, without question, that the gap between official and real-world PHEV fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions is much, much greater than for petrol or conventional cars,” they stated. “Any regulatory adjustments regarding PHEVs should be implemented with extreme care and considering that evidence.”