Plug-in Hybrid electric Vehicles Emit Almost as Heavily as Gasoline Cars, Report Finds
Plug-in hybrid cars produce nearly five times greater global warming emissions than lab-reported data indicate, as per a new analysis.
Widening Gap Between Lab and Actual Emissions
Statistics reveals that PHEVs emit just 19% lower CO2 than conventional gas and diesel cars, according to research conducted by a advocacy organization. That contrasts sharply with laboratory tests, which assumed a 75% decrease in emissions.
Analysts examined information from in-vehicle fuel consumption meters of 800,000 cars sold in the EU between 2021 and 2023. The team discovered that real-world CO2 emissions from PHEVs in 2023 were nearly five times higher than lab figures, up from three and a half times in 2021.
“Actual emissions are rising, while official figures are falling,” said a senior analyst participating in the study. “This discrepancy is widening and poses a significant problem. As a result, PHEVs pollute almost as heavily as gasoline vehicles.”
Primary Factors Behind the Emissions Gap
Researchers linked most of the difference to overestimates of the “electric driving share” – the percentage of miles driven in electric power relative to total distance. The team found that only 27% of travel was completed in electric mode, while official estimates assumed over four-fifths.
Additionally, when operating in electric mode, emission amounts were well above lab estimates. This occurred because EV motors were insufficiently powerful sufficient to operate independently, leading to combustion motors using fossil fuels for almost a third of the distance covered in electric mode.
Policy and Financial Implications
According to estimates, the underestimation of PHEV CO2 output enabled several major carmaker groups to escape over €5bn in fines from 2021 and 2023, by falsely easing compliance with European Union fleet-average CO2 targets.
Additionally, drivers of PHEVs would pay about €500 more per year in operating expenses than would be estimated under laboratory conditions.
“The strong claims that manufacturers often promote about their plug-in hybrid vehicles are obviously far from the mark,” stated a automotive analyst. “Consumers are being misled into thinking that by buying a PHEV, they are benefiting the planet and cutting costs. In reality, PHEVs are little better than regular gas and diesel vehicles in terms of energy use, CO2 production, and operating costs.”
Political Debate and Industry Pressure
Hybrid vehicles have lately been brought again into political discussions as automakers have pressed the EU to relax CO2 targets. A planned prohibition on sales of new combustion engine cars in 2035 has faced intense lobbying from the automotive industry and resistance from EU countries with large automotive manufacturing.
Some high-level politicians have proposed PHEVs as a potential “flexibility” option to include in the regulation.
One independent energy policy specialist, who was not involved with the research, described the report a “very useful contribution” after years in which segments of the car industry claimed there was insufficient data to accurately assess real-world CO2 output.
“These findings show, beyond any doubt, that the difference in lab and real-world PHEV fuel consumption and CO2 output is significantly greater than for petrol or diesel vehicles,” they said. “Any regulatory adjustments concerning PHEVs should be implemented with utmost caution and in the light of this evidence.”