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PHEVs release almost five times greater global warming pollution than official figures indicate, as per a new analysis.

Widening Discrepancy In Lab and Actual Emissions

Data reveals that PHEVs release just one-fifth lower CO₂ than traditional petrol and diesel cars, according to analysis carried out by a non-profit organization. That contrasts sharply with lab tests, which assumed a three-quarters decrease in pollution.

Analysts studied information from onboard fuel consumption monitors of eight hundred thousand vehicles sold in Europe between 2021 and 2023. They discovered that actual CO₂ emissions from PHEVs in 2023 were 4.9 times greater than official figures, up from three and a half times in 2021.

“Actual CO2 output are rising, while lab-reported figures are falling,” said a senior analyst participating in the study. “That discrepancy is growing and creates a significant problem. Consequently, PHEVs pollute almost as much as petrol vehicles.”

Key Factors Driving the Discrepancy

Researchers linked most of the gap to overestimates of the “electric driving share” – the ratio of miles travelled in electric power compared to total distance. The team found that only a quarter of travel was completed in EV mode, while official assumptions assumed over four-fifths.

Additionally, when operating in EV mode, pollution amounts were well above official projections. This happened because EV motors were insufficiently powerful sufficient to operate alone, leading to combustion motors burning gasoline for nearly one-third of the travel covered in electric mode.

Policy and Economic Implications

According to estimates, the lowballing of PHEV emissions allowed several large carmaker companies to avoid more than €5bn in penalties from 2021 and 2023, by artificially simplifying compliance with European Union average fleet CO₂ targets.

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

“The bold statements that manufacturers like to make about their PHEV vehicles are clearly way off the truth,” commented a transport expert. “Buyers are being duped into believing that by purchasing a PHEV, they are helping the planet and saving costs. Actually, PHEVs are only slightly improved than standard petrol and diesel vehicles in terms of energy use, CO₂ emissions, and running expenses.”

Political Discussion and Industry Pressure

Hybrid cars have recently been brought back into political discussions as carmakers have lobbied the European Union to weaken CO₂ targets. A proposed ban on sales of new internal combustion cars in 2035 has faced heavy pressure from the automotive sector and opposition from EU countries with large car industries.

Some senior officials have suggested PHEVs as a potential “flexibility” option to introduce in the legislation.

An independent energy policy expert, who was unaffiliated with the research, described the report a “highly valuable addition” after a long period in which segments of the automotive sector claimed there was too little information to accurately assess actual CO2 output.

“The results show, beyond any doubt, that the difference between official and actual PHEV energy use and CO₂ emissions is much, much larger than for petrol or diesel cars,” the expert stated. “All policy changes regarding PHEVs should be made with extreme care and considering that data.”