🔗 Share this article Plug-in Hybrid electric Cars Emit Almost as Heavily as Gasoline Cars, Report Finds PHEVs emit nearly five times greater planet-heating pollution than official figures show, as per a recent analysis. Growing Gap In Lab and Actual CO2 Output Data shows that PHEVs emit only 19% less CO2 than traditional petrol and diesel cars, according to research conducted by a advocacy group. That contrasts sharply with laboratory estimates, which suggested a 75% decrease in emissions. Researchers studied data from onboard fuel consumption monitors of eight hundred thousand vehicles sold in Europe from 2021 and 2023. They discovered that actual CO2 output from PHEVs in 2023 were 4.9 times greater than official estimates, up from three and a half times in 2021. “Real-world CO2 output are increasing, while official emissions are falling,” said a senior analyst participating in the report. “This gap is widening and creates a significant issue. As a result, PHEVs emit nearly as much as petrol cars.” Key Reasons Behind the Discrepancy Analysts linked most of the difference to overestimates of the “electric driving share” – the percentage of kilometers travelled in electric mode relative to overall mileage. The team found that only a quarter of driving was completed in EV mode, while lab estimates suggested 84%. Even, when running in electric mode, emission amounts were significantly higher than official estimates. That happened because EV motors were insufficiently powerful sufficient to operate alone, resulting to engines using fossil fuels for almost a third of the distance completed in EV mode. Policy and Financial Implications Based on estimates, the underestimation of PHEV CO2 output enabled several large automaker groups to escape more than €5bn in fines between 2021 and 2023, by artificially easing adherence with European Union fleet-average CO2 targets. Furthermore, owners of PHEVs would pay about €500 more annually in running costs than would be assumed under laboratory tests. “The bold statements that manufacturers like to make about their plug-in hybrid vehicles are obviously way off the truth,” stated a transport analyst. “Consumers are being duped into thinking that by purchasing a PHEV, they are helping the planet and saving costs. Actually, PHEVs are little improved than regular petrol and diesel cars in terms of energy consumption, CO2 production, and operating expenses.” Policy Debate and Automotive Lobbying Plug-in hybrid vehicles have recently been drawn again into policy debates as automakers have pressed the EU to relax CO2 standards. A planned 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. Some senior officials have proposed plug-in hybrids as a possible “flexibility” solution to introduce in the regulation. An independent energy economics expert, who was not involved with the study, described the analysis a “highly valuable addition” after a long period in which segments of the car industry claimed there was insufficient data to accurately assess actual emissions. “The results demonstrate, without question, that the difference in official and actual PHEV fuel consumption and CO2 emissions is significantly greater than for petrol or diesel vehicles,” they said. “Any regulatory adjustments regarding PHEVs should be made with utmost caution and considering this evidence.”