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PHEVs emit nearly 5x more global warming emissions than lab-reported data indicate, as per a new report.

Growing Gap Between Official and Actual CO2 Output

Data shows that PHEVs emit just 19% lower CO₂ than traditional petrol and diesel cars, based on analysis conducted by a advocacy organization. That contrasts significantly with laboratory estimates, which suggested a three-quarters decrease in emissions.

Analysts examined data from in-vehicle fuel consumption monitors of eight hundred thousand cars registered in Europe between 2021 and 2023. The team found that real-world CO₂ emissions from PHEVs in 2023 were nearly five times greater than lab figures, up from 3.5 times in 2021.

“Real-world emissions are increasing, while official emissions are decreasing,” stated a senior researcher participating in the report. “This discrepancy is widening and creates a significant issue. As a result, PHEVs pollute almost as heavily as petrol cars.”

Primary Reasons Behind the Discrepancy

Analysts attributed the majority of the gap to inflated estimates of the “electric driving share” – the ratio of kilometers travelled in battery mode compared to total distance. They found that just a quarter of driving was done in electric mode, whereas official assumptions assumed over four-fifths.

Additionally, when operating in electric mode, pollution levels were significantly higher than lab projections. This occurred because electric motors were insufficiently powerful sufficient to operate independently, leading to engines using fossil fuels for nearly one-third of the distance completed in EV mode.

Regulatory and Economic Implications

Based on calculations, the underestimation of PHEV emissions enabled several large carmaker companies to escape over €5bn in fines between 2021 and 2023, by artificially easing adherence with European Union average fleet CO₂ standards.

Additionally, drivers of PHEVs would spend about €500 more per year in running costs than is assumed under lab conditions.

“The bold claims that manufacturers like to make about their PHEV cars are clearly way off the mark,” stated a automotive expert. “Buyers are being misled into believing that by purchasing a PHEV, they are helping the planet and cutting costs. Actually, PHEVs are only slightly better than standard petrol and diesel vehicles in terms of energy consumption, CO₂ production, and running expenses.”

Political Debate and Automotive Lobbying

Hybrid vehicles have lately been brought again into policy debates as automakers have pressed the European Union to relax CO₂ targets. A proposed ban on new combustion engine cars in 2035 has faced intense lobbying from the automotive sector and resistance from member states with significant car industries.

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

An independent 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 properly assess actual CO2 output.

“These findings demonstrate, without question, that the gap between official and real-world PHEV fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions is much, much larger than for gasoline or diesel cars,” the expert stated. “Any policy adjustments regarding PHEVs should be made with extreme caution and in the light of this evidence.”