🔗 Share this article Plug in Hybrid electric Vehicles Emit Almost as Heavily as Gasoline Vehicles, Report Reveals Plug-in hybrid cars produce nearly 5x more global warming emissions than lab-reported data show, according to a recent analysis. Widening Gap In Lab and Actual Emissions Statistics shows that PHEVs emit only 19% less CO2 than traditional petrol and diesel vehicles, based on research conducted by a advocacy group. That differs sharply with laboratory estimates, which suggested a 75% decrease in emissions. Researchers studied data from in-vehicle fuel consumption meters of eight hundred thousand vehicles registered in Europe between 2021 and 2023. They found that actual CO2 output from PHEVs in 2023 were 4.9 times greater than lab estimates, up from 3.5 times in 2021. “Real-world CO2 output are increasing, while official figures are decreasing,” said a lead researcher involved in the study. “That gap is widening and creates a serious problem. Consequently, PHEVs pollute nearly as much as gasoline cars.” Primary Reasons Behind the Discrepancy Researchers linked the majority of the difference to overestimates of the “utility factor” – the percentage of kilometers driven in battery mode relative to overall mileage. They determined that only a quarter of driving was completed in electric mode, while lab estimates assumed 84%. Additionally, when running in electric mode, pollution amounts were significantly higher than official estimates. That occurred because electric motors were insufficiently powerful sufficient to operate independently, resulting to engines using fossil fuels for almost a third of the travel completed in electric mode. Policy and Financial Consequences According to estimates, the lowballing of PHEV CO2 output enabled four large automaker companies to escape over €5bn in penalties from 2021 and 2023, by artificially easing compliance with European Union fleet-average CO2 targets. Furthermore, drivers of PHEVs would spend approximately €500 more per year in operating costs than is assumed under lab conditions. “The strong claims that automakers often promote about their PHEV cars are obviously way off the mark,” commented a transport analyst. “Buyers are being duped into believing that by buying a PHEV, they are helping the environment and cutting money. Actually, PHEVs are little better than standard gas and diesel cars in terms of fuel use, CO2 production, and running costs.” Political Debate and Automotive Pressure Plug-in hybrid cars have recently been brought back into policy discussions as automakers have lobbied the EU to relax CO2 targets. A planned prohibition on sales of new combustion engine vehicles in 2035 has faced intense lobbying from the car industry and opposition from EU countries with large car industries. Several high-level politicians have proposed PHEVs as a potential “flexibility” solution to introduce in the legislation. An external energy policy expert, who was not involved with the study, described the report a “very useful addition” after a long period in which segments of the automotive sector claimed there was insufficient data to properly evaluate actual CO2 output. “These findings demonstrate, without question, that the difference between lab and real-world PHEV fuel consumption and CO2 output is significantly greater than for gasoline or diesel vehicles,” the expert stated. “All regulatory adjustments concerning PHEVs should be implemented with utmost caution and in the light of that evidence.”