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PHEVs produce almost five times greater planet-heating pollution than official data indicate, according to a recent analysis.

Growing Gap Between Official and Actual CO2 Output

Data reveals that PHEVs release just one-fifth less CO₂ than traditional petrol and diesel cars, based on research carried out by a advocacy organization. This differs significantly with laboratory estimates, which assumed a 75% reduction in emissions.

Analysts studied data from onboard fuel consumption meters of eight hundred thousand cars sold in the EU from 2021 and 2023. The team found that real-world CO₂ output from PHEVs in 2023 were nearly five times higher than lab estimates, up from three and a half times in 2021.

“Actual emissions are increasing, while lab-reported figures are falling,” stated a senior researcher involved in the report. “That discrepancy is widening and poses a serious issue. Consequently, PHEVs emit nearly as much as petrol cars.”

Key Factors Driving the Discrepancy

Researchers attributed most of the difference to inflated estimates of the “utility factor” – the ratio of miles driven in electric power relative to total distance. The team found that only a quarter of driving was done in electric mode, while official estimates assumed over four-fifths.

Even, when operating in EV mode, pollution amounts were well above official projections. This occurred because electric motors were insufficiently powerful enough to operate independently, leading to engines using gasoline for almost a third of the travel completed in electric mode.

Policy and Economic Implications

Based on calculations, the lowballing of PHEV CO2 output enabled several major carmaker groups to avoid over €5bn in penalties between 2021 and 2023, by falsely easing adherence with EU fleet-average CO₂ standards.

Furthermore, owners of PHEVs would spend approximately €500 more per year in operating costs than would be estimated under laboratory tests.

“The strong claims that automakers like to make about their PHEV cars are clearly way off the mark,” stated a transport analyst. “Buyers are being duped into thinking that by buying a PHEV, they are helping the environment and saving money. Actually, PHEVs are little improved than regular gas and diesel cars in terms of energy use, CO₂ emissions, and running expenses.”

Political Discussion and Industry Lobbying

Hybrid vehicles have recently been drawn back into political debates as carmakers have pressed the European Union to relax CO₂ targets. A proposed prohibition on sales of new internal combustion cars in 2035 has faced intense pressure from the automotive sector and opposition from EU countries with significant automotive manufacturing.

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

An independent energy policy expert, who was not involved with the study, called the analysis a “very useful addition” after years in which segments of the car industry argued there was insufficient information to accurately evaluate actual emissions.

“These findings demonstrate, without question, that the gap in official and actual PHEV energy use and CO₂ output is significantly greater than for petrol or conventional cars,” they said. “All policy changes concerning PHEVs should be implemented with utmost care and considering this data.”