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PHEVs produce nearly 5x more planet-heating emissions than lab-reported figures indicate, according to a new report.

Widening Gap In Lab and Actual CO2 Output

Data reveals that PHEVs emit just one-fifth less CO₂ than traditional petrol and diesel vehicles, according to analysis conducted by a non-profit organization. This contrasts sharply with laboratory tests, which assumed a 75% reduction in pollution.

Analysts studied data from onboard fuel consumption monitors of eight hundred thousand cars sold in Europe between 2021 and 2023. The team discovered that real-world CO₂ emissions from PHEVs in 2023 were nearly five times higher than official estimates, increased from 3.5 times in 2021.

“Real-world emissions are rising, while official emissions are falling,” stated a lead analyst participating in the report. “This gap is growing and poses a significant issue. As a result, PHEVs emit almost as much as petrol vehicles.”

Primary Reasons Driving the Discrepancy

Analysts attributed the majority of the gap to inflated estimates of the “utility factor” – the ratio of miles travelled in electric power compared to total distance. The team determined that just 27% of travel was done in EV mode, while lab assumptions assumed over four-fifths.

Even, when running in EV mode, emission levels were significantly higher than official projections. That happened because electric motors were not strong sufficient to operate independently, resulting to combustion motors using fossil fuels for almost a third of the distance covered in electric mode.

Policy and Economic Implications

According to estimates, the underestimation of PHEV emissions enabled several large carmaker groups to avoid more than €5bn in fines from 2021 and 2023, by falsely easing adherence with European Union average fleet CO₂ standards.

Furthermore, drivers of PHEVs could pay approximately €500 extra annually in running expenses than would be assumed under lab tests.

“The bold claims that manufacturers like to make about their PHEV vehicles are obviously far from the mark,” stated a transport analyst. “Consumers are being misled into believing that by purchasing a PHEV, they are benefiting the environment and cutting money. Actually, PHEVs are little improved than regular gas and diesel cars in terms of energy consumption, CO₂ emissions, and operating expenses.”

Policy Discussion and Automotive Pressure

Hybrid vehicles have lately been brought again into political debates as carmakers have lobbied the European Union to relax CO₂ standards. A planned ban on new combustion engine cars in 2035 has faced heavy lobbying from the car sector and resistance from member states with large car industries.

Several high-level officials have proposed PHEVs as a possible “compromise” option to introduce in the regulation.

One external energy policy specialist, who was unaffiliated with the study, described the report a “very useful addition” after a long period in which segments of the automotive sector argued there was insufficient information to properly evaluate actual CO2 output.

“The results show, without question, that the difference in official and actual PHEV energy use and CO₂ output is significantly larger than for petrol or conventional cars,” the expert stated. “Any regulatory adjustments concerning PHEVs should be made with utmost care and in the light of that evidence.”