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Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles produce nearly 5x more planet-heating emissions than official figures indicate, according to a recent report.

Growing Gap In Lab and Actual Emissions

Data reveals that PHEVs emit just one-fifth lower CO₂ than traditional petrol and diesel vehicles, according to research carried out by a advocacy group. That contrasts sharply with laboratory estimates, which assumed a three-quarters decrease in pollution.

Researchers studied data from onboard fuel consumption meters of eight hundred thousand vehicles registered in the EU from 2021 and 2023. They discovered that real-world CO₂ output from PHEVs in 2023 were 4.9 times higher than lab figures, up from three and a half times in 2021.

“Actual emissions are rising, while official emissions are decreasing,” stated a lead analyst involved in the report. “That gap is widening and creates a serious problem. As a result, PHEVs pollute almost as much as gasoline vehicles.”

Key Reasons Behind the Discrepancy

Analysts attributed most of the gap to inflated estimates of the “utility factor” – the ratio of miles travelled in battery mode compared to total distance. They determined that just a quarter of travel was done in EV mode, whereas official estimates assumed over four-fifths.

Additionally, when running in EV mode, emission levels were significantly higher than official estimates. That occurred because EV motors were not strong enough to function alone, leading to engines using gasoline for nearly a third of the travel completed in EV mode.

Regulatory and Financial Consequences

Based on calculations, the lowballing of PHEV CO2 output allowed several large automaker groups to avoid over €5bn in fines from 2021 and 2023, by falsely easing adherence with European Union average fleet CO₂ targets.

Additionally, owners of PHEVs could pay approximately €500 extra per year in operating expenses than is assumed under lab conditions.

“The bold statements that manufacturers like to make about their PHEV vehicles are obviously way off the mark,” commented a automotive expert. “Buyers are being misled into believing that by buying a PHEV, they are helping the planet and saving money. Actually, PHEVs are only slightly better than regular gas and diesel vehicles in terms of energy consumption, CO₂ production, and operating costs.”

Policy Debate and Industry Lobbying

Hybrid cars have recently been drawn back into political debates as automakers have lobbied the European Union to relax CO₂ targets. A planned prohibition on new internal combustion cars in 2035 has faced intense lobbying from the automotive industry and opposition from EU countries with significant automotive manufacturing.

Some high-level politicians have suggested plug-in hybrids as a potential “compromise” option to introduce in the regulation.

An external energy policy specialist, who was not involved with the study, called the analysis a “highly valuable addition” after years in which segments of the car sector claimed there was insufficient data to accurately evaluate real-world CO2 output.

“The results show, beyond any doubt, that the gap in official and actual PHEV energy use and CO₂ emissions is much, much greater than for petrol or conventional cars,” they stated. “Any policy changes concerning PHEVs should be made with extreme caution and considering that data.”