🔗 Share this article Plug in Hybrid electric Cars Emit Nearly as Much as Petrol Cars, Study Reveals Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles produce almost 5x greater global warming pollution than lab-reported figures show, according to a new analysis. Widening Discrepancy In Official and Actual CO2 Output Statistics reveals that PHEVs emit just 19% lower CO2 than traditional gas and diesel cars, according to analysis conducted by a advocacy organization. That differs sharply with lab estimates, which assumed a 75% decrease in pollution. Analysts studied data from onboard fuel consumption meters of eight hundred thousand vehicles sold in the EU between 2021 and 2023. The team found that real-world CO2 emissions from PHEVs in 2023 were 4.9 times higher than official figures, increased from three and a half times in 2021. “Actual CO2 output are rising, while official emissions are falling,” said a lead researcher participating in the report. “This gap is widening and poses a serious issue. As a result, PHEVs pollute almost as much as petrol cars.” Key Factors Behind the Emissions Gap Researchers attributed most of the difference to inflated estimates of the “electric driving share” – the ratio of miles travelled in electric mode relative to overall distance. The team determined that only 27% of driving was done in EV mode, whereas lab estimates suggested 84%. Additionally, when running in EV mode, emission levels were significantly higher than lab estimates. This happened because EV motors were insufficiently powerful enough to operate alone, resulting to combustion motors burning gasoline for almost one-third of the travel covered in EV mode. Regulatory and Financial Consequences According to estimates, the lowballing of PHEV CO2 output allowed four large carmaker groups to escape more than €5bn in fines between 2021 and 2023, by falsely easing adherence with EU average fleet CO2 standards. Additionally, owners of PHEVs would pay approximately €500 extra per year in running costs than would be assumed under lab tests. “The strong statements that manufacturers like to make about their PHEV cars are clearly way off the truth,” commented a automotive expert. “Buyers are being duped into believing that by purchasing a PHEV, they are benefiting the environment and saving money. Actually, PHEVs are little better than standard gas and diesel cars in terms of fuel use, CO2 emissions, and running costs.” Political Debate and Automotive Lobbying Plug-in hybrid cars have recently been brought again into policy discussions as automakers have pressed the European Union to weaken CO2 targets. A planned prohibition on new internal combustion vehicles in 2035 has faced heavy pressure from the automotive industry and opposition from EU countries with large car industries. Some high-level officials have proposed PHEVs as a potential “flexibility” solution to include in the legislation. An external energy economics specialist, who was unaffiliated with the research, called the report a “highly valuable addition” after years in which parts of the car sector claimed there was too little information to properly assess actual emissions. “The results demonstrate, without question, that the difference between official and actual PHEV fuel consumption and CO2 emissions is significantly larger than for petrol or diesel cars,” they stated. “All regulatory adjustments concerning PHEVs should be made with extreme care and in the light of this evidence.”