🔗 Share this article Plug in Hybrid electric Vehicles Emit Nearly as Much as Petrol Cars, Study Finds Plug-in hybrid cars emit nearly five times more planet-heating pollution than lab-reported figures indicate, according to a new analysis. Growing Discrepancy In Official and Actual Emissions Data shows that PHEVs release only one-fifth lower CO2 than traditional gas and diesel vehicles, according to research conducted by a advocacy group. This differs significantly with laboratory tests, which assumed a three-quarters decrease in emissions. Analysts studied data from onboard fuel consumption meters of 800,000 vehicles registered in the EU from 2021 and 2023. The team discovered that real-world CO2 emissions from PHEVs in 2023 were nearly five times greater than official figures, increased from three and a half times in 2021. “Real-world CO2 output are rising, while official emissions are falling,” said a senior analyst involved in the study. “This gap is widening and creates a serious issue. As a result, PHEVs pollute nearly as much as petrol cars.” Key Reasons Behind the Discrepancy Researchers attributed most of the difference to inflated estimates of the “utility factor” – the ratio of kilometers travelled in electric mode relative to overall distance. The team determined that just a quarter of travel was done in electric mode, while lab assumptions suggested over four-fifths. Additionally, when running in EV mode, pollution levels were well above official estimates. That occurred because electric motors were insufficiently powerful enough to function independently, leading to combustion motors burning fossil fuels for nearly a third of the travel covered in EV mode. Regulatory and Financial Implications Based on estimates, the lowballing of PHEV emissions enabled several large carmaker companies to escape more than €5bn in fines from 2021 and 2023, by falsely simplifying compliance with European Union average fleet CO2 targets. Additionally, drivers of PHEVs could spend about €500 more annually in running expenses than is estimated under laboratory conditions. “The strong claims that automakers like to make about their PHEV cars are obviously far from the mark,” commented a automotive analyst. “Buyers are being duped into believing that by buying a PHEV, they are benefiting the environment and cutting money. In reality, PHEVs are only slightly improved than standard petrol and diesel cars in terms of energy use, CO2 emissions, and operating expenses.” Political Debate and Automotive Lobbying Plug-in hybrid vehicles have lately been drawn again into political debates as carmakers have lobbied the European Union to weaken CO2 targets. A planned ban on sales of new internal combustion vehicles in 2035 has faced intense pressure from the car sector and opposition from EU countries with large car manufacturing. Several senior politicians have suggested PHEVs as a potential “flexibility” solution to introduce in the regulation. An external energy policy expert, who was not involved with the study, called the report a “very useful contribution” after years in which segments of the automotive industry claimed there was insufficient data to accurately assess actual CO2 output. “The results demonstrate, without question, that the gap in lab and real-world PHEV energy use and CO2 output is significantly larger than for gasoline or diesel cars,” they stated. “Any regulatory changes regarding PHEVs should be made with extreme care and in the light of this data.”