Plug in Hybrid electric Vehicles Emit Nearly as Heavily as Gasoline Vehicles, Report Finds
Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles produce nearly five times greater planet-heating pollution than official figures show, according to a new analysis.
Widening Gap Between Lab and Actual Emissions
Data shows that PHEVs emit just one-fifth lower CO2 than traditional petrol and diesel vehicles, according to analysis carried out by a advocacy organization. This differs significantly with laboratory tests, which suggested a 75% decrease in pollution.
Researchers studied data from in-vehicle energy use monitors of eight hundred thousand cars registered in Europe between 2021 and 2023. They discovered that real-world CO2 output from PHEVs in 2023 were nearly five times greater than lab figures, increased from 3.5 times in 2021.
“Real-world emissions are increasing, while official figures are decreasing,” stated a senior analyst involved in the report. “That discrepancy is growing and poses a serious issue. Consequently, PHEVs emit nearly as heavily as petrol cars.”
Key Reasons Driving the Discrepancy
Researchers attributed the majority of the gap to overestimates of the “electric driving share” – the ratio of kilometers travelled in battery power compared to overall distance. They determined that just a quarter of travel was completed in electric mode, while lab assumptions assumed 84%.
Even, when running in EV mode, pollution amounts were well above lab projections. This occurred because electric motors were insufficiently powerful sufficient to operate independently, resulting to engines using gasoline for nearly a third of the distance completed in electric mode.
Policy and Economic Consequences
Based on calculations, the lowballing of PHEV emissions allowed four large carmaker groups to avoid more than €5bn in penalties between 2021 and 2023, by artificially easing compliance with European Union fleet-average CO2 standards.
Furthermore, owners of PHEVs would pay about €500 extra per year in running expenses than is assumed under laboratory conditions.
“The bold claims that manufacturers like to make about their PHEV vehicles are obviously far from the mark,” stated a automotive expert. “Consumers are being duped into thinking that by purchasing a PHEV, they are benefiting the environment and cutting costs. In reality, PHEVs are little better than standard gas and diesel vehicles in terms of energy consumption, CO2 emissions, and operating costs.”
Political Debate and Industry Pressure
Plug-in hybrid vehicles have recently been drawn back into political debates as carmakers have pressed the European Union to relax CO2 standards. A proposed ban on new combustion engine vehicles in 2035 has faced intense lobbying from the car industry and opposition from member states with significant automotive manufacturing.
Several senior politicians have suggested PHEVs as a potential “flexibility” solution to introduce in the regulation.
An external energy policy specialist, who was not involved with the research, described the analysis a “very useful addition” after years in which parts of the car sector claimed there was too little data to accurately assess real-world CO2 output.
“These findings show, without question, that the gap between official and actual PHEV fuel consumption and CO2 output is much, much larger than for gasoline or diesel vehicles,” the expert stated. “Any regulatory adjustments regarding PHEVs should be implemented with utmost care and considering that evidence.”
