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Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles emit nearly 5x more global warming pollution than lab-reported data show, as per a recent report.

Growing Gap In Lab and Actual Emissions

Statistics reveals that PHEVs release just 19% less CO₂ than conventional petrol and diesel vehicles, according to research conducted by a non-profit group. This contrasts sharply with laboratory estimates, which suggested a 75% reduction in pollution.

Analysts studied data from in-vehicle fuel consumption meters of eight hundred thousand cars registered in the EU from 2021 and 2023. The team found that actual CO₂ emissions from PHEVs in 2023 were nearly five times greater than lab estimates, up from three and a half times in 2021.

“Actual CO2 output are rising, while lab-reported figures are decreasing,” stated a senior analyst participating in the report. “That gap is widening and creates a significant problem. Consequently, PHEVs emit almost as heavily as gasoline vehicles.”

Key Reasons Driving the Emissions Gap

Analysts linked most of the gap to overestimates of the “electric driving share” – the ratio of miles driven in battery power compared to overall mileage. The team determined that just a quarter of driving was completed in electric mode, while official assumptions assumed over four-fifths.

Even, when running in EV mode, emission amounts were well above lab projections. That occurred because EV motors were insufficiently powerful enough to function independently, resulting to engines burning fossil fuels for almost a third of the distance covered in electric mode.

Regulatory and Economic Implications

According to estimates, the underestimation of PHEV emissions enabled four large carmaker companies to escape over €5bn in penalties from 2021 and 2023, by falsely simplifying adherence with EU fleet-average CO₂ standards.

Furthermore, owners of PHEVs could spend approximately €500 more annually in running costs than is estimated under lab conditions.

“The bold claims that automakers like to make about their PHEV vehicles are clearly far from the truth,” stated a automotive analyst. “Consumers are being duped into believing that by purchasing a PHEV, they are benefiting the environment and saving money. In reality, PHEVs are little better than regular petrol and diesel vehicles in terms of energy consumption, CO₂ production, and operating expenses.”

Policy Discussion and Industry Lobbying

Hybrid vehicles have lately been drawn again into political discussions as automakers have pressed the European Union to relax CO₂ targets. A planned ban on sales of new internal combustion cars in 2035 has faced heavy pressure from the car industry and opposition from member states with large automotive manufacturing.

Several high-level officials have proposed PHEVs as a possible “flexibility” option to introduce in the legislation.

One independent energy policy expert, who was unaffiliated with the study, called the analysis a “very useful contribution” after years in which segments of the automotive industry argued there was insufficient information to accurately assess actual emissions.

“These findings demonstrate, without question, that the difference between official and actual PHEV fuel consumption and CO₂ output is significantly greater than for petrol or diesel cars,” they stated. “All regulatory changes concerning PHEVs should be made with utmost care and in the light of this data.”