🔗 Share this article

PHEVs emit almost 5x greater global warming pollution than lab-reported figures indicate, as per a recent analysis.

Widening Gap In Official and Actual CO2 Output

Data shows that PHEVs release just one-fifth lower CO₂ than conventional petrol and diesel vehicles, based on research conducted by a advocacy group. That contrasts significantly with laboratory tests, which suggested a three-quarters decrease in pollution.

Analysts studied data from onboard fuel consumption monitors of eight hundred thousand cars registered in the EU between 2021 and 2023. The team found that real-world CO₂ emissions from PHEVs in 2023 were nearly five times greater than official estimates, increased from 3.5 times in 2021.

“Actual CO2 output are increasing, while official figures are falling,” said a senior researcher involved in the study. “That gap is growing and poses a serious problem. As a result, PHEVs pollute nearly as much as gasoline vehicles.”

Key Reasons Behind the Discrepancy

Analysts linked most of the gap to inflated estimates of the “utility factor” – the ratio of miles driven in electric mode compared to overall mileage. The team determined that just 27% of travel was completed in electric mode, whereas lab assumptions assumed over four-fifths.

Even, when operating in electric mode, pollution levels were well above official estimates. That occurred because EV motors were insufficiently powerful enough to operate independently, resulting to combustion motors burning fossil fuels for nearly one-third of the travel completed in electric mode.

Regulatory and Economic Consequences

According to estimates, the underestimation of PHEV CO2 output allowed several large automaker companies to escape over €5bn in fines from 2021 and 2023, by falsely simplifying adherence with European Union fleet-average CO₂ standards.

Additionally, owners of PHEVs could spend approximately €500 more per year in operating expenses than would be estimated under lab conditions.

“The strong claims that manufacturers often promote about their PHEV vehicles are clearly way off the mark,” commented a transport expert. “Consumers are being misled into thinking that by buying a PHEV, they are helping the planet and cutting money. Actually, PHEVs are little improved than standard gas and diesel vehicles in terms of fuel consumption, CO₂ emissions, and running costs.”

Political Discussion and Industry Lobbying

Hybrid cars have lately been drawn again into policy discussions as carmakers have lobbied the EU to relax CO₂ standards. A planned prohibition on sales of new combustion engine cars in 2035 has faced heavy pressure from the automotive sector and resistance from EU countries with large automotive manufacturing.

Some high-level officials have suggested PHEVs as a potential “compromise” solution to include in the regulation.

An independent energy economics expert, who was not involved with the research, called the report a “highly valuable addition” after a long period in which segments of the car industry claimed there was too little information to accurately assess actual emissions.

“These findings show, beyond any doubt, that the gap in official and real-world PHEV fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions is much, much greater than for gasoline or conventional cars,” they said. “Any regulatory adjustments concerning PHEVs should be implemented with utmost care and in the light of that data.”