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Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles release nearly five times more global warming emissions than official data show, as per a new analysis.

Growing Discrepancy In Official and Actual Emissions

Statistics reveals that PHEVs release just 19% lower CO₂ than conventional petrol and diesel vehicles, based on research carried out by a advocacy group. That differs significantly with lab estimates, which suggested a 75% decrease in pollution.

Researchers examined data from onboard fuel consumption meters of 800,000 cars registered in the EU between 2021 and 2023. They discovered that actual CO₂ output from PHEVs in 2023 were nearly five times greater than official figures, up from three and a half times in 2021.

“Actual emissions are increasing, while lab-reported figures are decreasing,” said a senior analyst participating in the report. “This discrepancy is growing and creates a serious issue. Consequently, PHEVs emit nearly as heavily as petrol cars.”

Key Reasons Behind the Emissions Gap

Researchers linked most of the difference to inflated estimates of the “utility factor” – the ratio of miles driven in battery power relative to overall distance. They determined that just a quarter of driving was completed in EV mode, while lab assumptions suggested 84%.

Even, when operating in electric mode, emission amounts were significantly higher than official estimates. That happened because EV motors were insufficiently powerful sufficient to function alone, resulting to engines using gasoline for nearly a third of the travel completed in electric mode.

Policy and Economic Consequences

Based on calculations, the lowballing of PHEV emissions allowed several major automaker companies to avoid more than €5bn in fines from 2021 and 2023, by artificially simplifying adherence with European Union average fleet CO₂ targets.

Furthermore, owners of PHEVs would spend approximately €500 more annually in operating costs than is assumed under lab tests.

“The bold claims that automakers like to make about their PHEV cars are obviously way off the mark,” stated a automotive expert. “Consumers are being duped into thinking that by purchasing a PHEV, they are helping the planet and cutting costs. Actually, PHEVs are little improved than regular petrol and diesel cars in terms of energy consumption, CO₂ production, and operating costs.”

Policy Debate and Automotive Pressure

Plug-in hybrid vehicles have lately been brought back into political debates as automakers have lobbied the EU to relax CO₂ standards. A proposed ban on new combustion engine 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 suggested PHEVs as a possible “compromise” option to introduce in the regulation.

An external energy economics expert, who was unaffiliated with the study, called the analysis a “highly valuable contribution” after a long period in which parts of the car industry argued there was too little information to accurately assess actual CO2 output.

“These findings demonstrate, without question, that the gap between official and real-world PHEV energy use and CO₂ emissions is significantly larger than for petrol or diesel vehicles,” the expert stated. “All policy adjustments concerning PHEVs should be implemented with extreme care and in the light of this evidence.”