Plug in Hybrid electric Vehicles Emit Nearly as Heavily as Petrol Cars, Report Reveals
PHEVs produce almost five times more planet-heating pollution than official figures indicate, according to a recent report.
Widening Gap Between Lab and Real-World Emissions
Data reveals that PHEVs release just one-fifth lower CO2 than traditional gas and diesel vehicles, according to analysis conducted by a advocacy group. This differs sharply with laboratory estimates, which suggested a 75% reduction in emissions.
Researchers studied information from onboard fuel consumption meters of eight hundred thousand cars registered in the EU between 2021 and 2023. They discovered that actual CO2 emissions from PHEVs in 2023 were nearly five times higher than official figures, increased from 3.5 times in 2021.
“Real-world emissions are increasing, while official figures are decreasing,” stated a senior researcher participating in the study. “This discrepancy is widening and poses a serious issue. Consequently, PHEVs emit nearly as heavily as petrol cars.”
Primary Factors Driving the Discrepancy
Analysts attributed most of the gap to inflated estimates of the “utility factor” – the ratio of miles travelled in battery mode compared to total mileage. They determined that just 27% of travel was completed in electric mode, while lab estimates assumed 84%.
Even, when operating in EV mode, pollution levels were well above official projections. That happened because electric motors were insufficiently powerful enough to function independently, resulting to engines burning gasoline for almost a third of the travel completed in electric mode.
Regulatory and Financial Implications
Based on estimates, the underestimation of PHEV emissions enabled four major carmaker companies to escape more than €5bn in fines between 2021 and 2023, by falsely easing compliance with European Union fleet-average CO2 targets.
Additionally, drivers of PHEVs would spend about €500 more annually in running expenses than would be estimated under laboratory tests.
“The strong claims that automakers often promote about their plug-in hybrid vehicles are obviously far from the truth,” commented a automotive analyst. “Consumers are being misled into believing that by buying a PHEV, they are benefiting the planet and cutting money. In reality, PHEVs are little better than standard petrol and diesel cars in terms of energy use, CO2 production, and running costs.”
Political Debate and Automotive Pressure
Plug-in hybrid cars have recently been brought back into political debates as carmakers have lobbied the European Union to relax CO2 targets. A planned ban on sales of new combustion engine cars in 2035 has faced heavy lobbying from the automotive industry and resistance from member states with significant automotive industries.
Several senior politicians have proposed plug-in hybrids as a potential “flexibility” solution to include in the regulation.
One independent energy economics expert, who was not involved with the study, described the report a “very useful contribution” after a long period in which parts of the car industry claimed there was insufficient information to accurately assess real-world CO2 output.
“These findings show, beyond any doubt, that the gap in lab and real-world PHEV fuel consumption and CO2 output is significantly larger than for petrol or diesel vehicles,” the expert said. “All policy adjustments concerning PHEVs should be implemented with utmost care and considering that evidence.”
