Plug in Hybrid electric Cars Pollute Nearly as Much as Petrol Vehicles, Study Finds

Plug-in hybrid cars emit nearly five times greater planet-heating pollution than official figures show, as per a recent report.

Widening Discrepancy In Official and Real-World CO2 Output

Statistics reveals that PHEVs emit just one-fifth lower CO₂ than traditional petrol and diesel vehicles, according to research carried out by a non-profit organization. This contrasts significantly with lab estimates, which assumed a three-quarters decrease in pollution.

Researchers examined information from in-vehicle fuel consumption monitors of eight hundred thousand vehicles registered in Europe from 2021 and 2023. The team found that actual CO₂ output from PHEVs in 2023 were nearly five times greater than lab estimates, increased from three and a half times in 2021.

“Real-world CO2 output are increasing, while lab-reported emissions are decreasing,” said a senior analyst participating in the report. “This gap is growing and poses a serious issue. As a result, PHEVs pollute almost as heavily as petrol cars.”

Primary Factors Behind the Emissions Gap

Researchers linked the majority of the gap to inflated estimates of the “electric driving share” – the ratio of miles driven in battery power compared to total mileage. They determined that just 27% of travel was completed in EV mode, while official assumptions suggested 84%.

Even, when operating in EV mode, pollution levels were significantly higher than lab projections. This happened because electric motors were insufficiently powerful sufficient to function independently, leading to combustion motors burning gasoline for nearly one-third of the travel covered in EV mode.

Policy and Economic Implications

Based on calculations, the lowballing of PHEV emissions allowed four major automaker groups to avoid over €5bn in penalties between 2021 and 2023, by artificially simplifying adherence with EU average fleet CO₂ targets.

Furthermore, drivers of PHEVs could spend about €500 more per year in operating costs than would be estimated under laboratory tests.

“The bold claims that manufacturers often promote about their PHEV vehicles are obviously way off the truth,” commented a transport expert. “Buyers are being duped into believing that by buying a PHEV, they are helping the planet and saving costs. In reality, PHEVs are only slightly better than regular petrol and diesel vehicles in terms of energy use, CO₂ emissions, and operating expenses.”

Policy Discussion and Automotive Lobbying

Plug-in hybrid vehicles have lately been brought back into political debates as automakers have lobbied the EU to weaken CO₂ targets. A planned ban on new combustion engine vehicles in 2035 has faced heavy pressure from the automotive sector and resistance from member states with large car manufacturing.

Some high-level officials have proposed PHEVs as a potential “flexibility” option to include in the legislation.

An independent energy economics specialist, who was unaffiliated with the study, described the report a “very useful addition” after years in which segments of the car sector claimed there was too little data to properly evaluate actual CO2 output.

“The results demonstrate, beyond any doubt, that the difference between official and actual PHEV energy use and CO₂ emissions is much, much larger than for gasoline or diesel vehicles,” they stated. “Any policy adjustments regarding PHEVs should be made with utmost caution and considering that evidence.”