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PHEVs produce almost 5x greater planet-heating emissions than official data indicate, as per a recent report.

Growing Gap Between Lab and Real-World Emissions

Statistics reveals that PHEVs release just one-fifth less CO₂ than traditional gas and diesel vehicles, according to analysis conducted by a advocacy group. This differs sharply with lab estimates, which suggested a 75% reduction in emissions.

Analysts studied data from onboard fuel consumption monitors of 800,000 vehicles registered in Europe from 2021 and 2023. They discovered that real-world CO₂ output from PHEVs in 2023 were nearly five times higher than lab figures, up from three and a half times in 2021.

“Real-world emissions are rising, while lab-reported emissions are decreasing,” stated a lead researcher involved in the study. “This discrepancy is growing and poses a significant issue. As a result, PHEVs emit almost as heavily as gasoline cars.”

Primary Factors Behind the Emissions Gap

Analysts linked the majority of the gap to overestimates of the “electric driving share” – the percentage of kilometers travelled in electric mode relative to overall distance. The team determined that only 27% of travel was done in electric mode, while official estimates suggested 84%.

Even, when running in EV mode, pollution amounts were significantly higher than lab projections. That occurred because electric motors were insufficiently powerful sufficient to function independently, resulting to combustion motors burning fossil fuels for almost one-third of the travel covered in EV mode.

Policy and Economic Implications

Based on calculations, the underestimation of PHEV CO2 output allowed four major automaker companies to avoid more than €5bn in penalties between 2021 and 2023, by falsely simplifying adherence with EU fleet-average CO₂ standards.

Additionally, owners of PHEVs could pay about €500 more per year in operating costs than would be assumed under lab tests.

“The bold claims that manufacturers often promote about their PHEV vehicles are obviously way off the mark,” commented a transport analyst. “Buyers are being duped into believing that by purchasing a PHEV, they are helping the environment and saving money. In reality, PHEVs are only slightly improved than standard petrol and diesel cars in terms of energy consumption, CO₂ emissions, and running expenses.”

Policy Discussion and Automotive Pressure

Hybrid cars have recently been brought back into policy debates as automakers have pressed the European Union to weaken CO₂ targets. A proposed ban on new internal combustion vehicles in 2035 has faced intense pressure from the automotive sector and opposition from EU countries with large car industries.

Several high-level politicians have proposed plug-in hybrids as a potential “flexibility” option to introduce in the legislation.

An external energy economics specialist, who was unaffiliated with the research, described the report a “highly valuable addition” after a long period in which parts of the car sector argued there was too little information to accurately evaluate real-world emissions.

“These findings demonstrate, beyond any doubt, that the gap in lab and real-world PHEV energy use and CO₂ emissions is significantly greater than for gasoline or conventional cars,” the expert said. “All policy adjustments regarding PHEVs should be made with utmost caution and considering this evidence.”