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PHEVs emit nearly five times greater planet-heating pollution than official data show, as per a new report.

Growing Gap In Official and Actual Emissions

Statistics reveals that PHEVs emit just 19% less CO₂ than conventional gas and diesel cars, based on research conducted by a non-profit organization. That differs sharply with laboratory tests, which assumed a three-quarters reduction in pollution.

Analysts examined information from in-vehicle energy use monitors of 800,000 vehicles sold in the EU from 2021 and 2023. They found that actual CO₂ output from PHEVs in 2023 were nearly five times greater than official estimates, up from three and a half times in 2021.

“Real-world emissions are rising, while lab-reported figures are decreasing,” said a senior analyst involved in the study. “This gap is growing and creates a serious problem. As a result, PHEVs emit almost as much as petrol cars.”

Key Reasons Behind the Emissions Gap

Analysts linked most of the difference to overestimates of the “electric driving share” – the percentage of miles driven in battery mode compared to overall distance. They found that just a quarter of driving was completed in electric mode, while official assumptions suggested 84%.

Additionally, when running in electric mode, emission levels were significantly higher than lab projections. That occurred because electric motors were not strong sufficient to function alone, resulting to combustion motors using gasoline for almost one-third of the travel covered in electric mode.

Regulatory and Economic Consequences

Based on estimates, the underestimation of PHEV CO2 output enabled four large automaker groups to avoid over €5bn in fines between 2021 and 2023, by falsely easing compliance with EU fleet-average CO₂ standards.

Additionally, drivers of PHEVs would pay approximately €500 more per year in running expenses than is estimated under lab conditions.

“The strong claims that automakers often promote about their PHEV vehicles are obviously far from the mark,” stated a automotive analyst. “Consumers are being duped into believing that by buying a PHEV, they are helping the environment and cutting costs. Actually, PHEVs are only slightly improved than standard gas and diesel vehicles in terms of energy consumption, CO₂ production, and running costs.”

Policy Debate and Industry Pressure

Hybrid vehicles have lately been drawn again into political discussions as automakers have pressed the European Union to weaken CO₂ targets. A planned ban on sales of new combustion engine cars in 2035 has faced intense lobbying from the automotive industry and resistance from EU countries with large automotive industries.

Several high-level officials have suggested plug-in hybrids as a potential “compromise” option to include in the legislation.

An external energy policy expert, who was unaffiliated with the study, called the analysis a “highly valuable addition” after years in which parts of the car sector argued there was too little information to properly evaluate actual CO2 output.

“The results demonstrate, without question, that the gap in lab and actual PHEV fuel consumption and CO₂ output is significantly greater than for gasoline or diesel vehicles,” they said. “All policy adjustments concerning PHEVs should be made with extreme care and in the light of this data.”