Plug in Hybrid electric Vehicles Pollute Nearly as Much as Gasoline Vehicles, Report Reveals

Plug-in hybrid cars emit nearly five times greater global warming pollution than official figures show, according to a recent report.

Widening Discrepancy Between Official and Actual CO2 Output

Statistics shows that PHEVs release just 19% lower CO₂ than conventional petrol and diesel cars, according to research conducted by a advocacy organization. That contrasts significantly with laboratory estimates, which assumed a 75% decrease in pollution.

Researchers examined data from in-vehicle energy use monitors of 800,000 cars sold in the EU between 2021 and 2023. The team discovered that real-world CO₂ output from PHEVs in 2023 were nearly five times higher than lab estimates, up from three and a half times in 2021.

“Real-world CO2 output are increasing, while lab-reported figures are falling,” stated a senior analyst participating in the study. “This discrepancy is widening and poses a serious problem. As a result, PHEVs emit nearly as heavily as petrol cars.”

Key Factors Driving the Emissions Gap

Researchers attributed most of the gap to overestimates of the “utility factor” – the ratio of miles driven in battery mode compared to total distance. They found that just 27% of driving was completed in electric mode, while lab assumptions suggested over four-fifths.

Even, when operating in EV mode, pollution levels were well above lab estimates. This occurred because electric motors were insufficiently powerful sufficient to operate independently, leading to combustion motors using gasoline for nearly one-third of the distance completed in electric mode.

Regulatory and Financial Implications

Based on calculations, the lowballing of PHEV CO2 output enabled several major carmaker groups to escape more than €5bn in penalties between 2021 and 2023, by artificially easing adherence with European Union fleet-average CO₂ targets.

Additionally, owners of PHEVs would pay about €500 more per year in operating costs than would be estimated under lab conditions.

“The bold statements that manufacturers like to make about their PHEV cars are obviously way off the truth,” stated a transport expert. “Buyers are being duped into believing that by buying a PHEV, they are helping the environment and saving costs. Actually, PHEVs are only slightly better than regular gas and diesel cars in terms of energy consumption, CO₂ production, and operating expenses.”

Policy Debate and Industry Lobbying

Hybrid vehicles have lately been drawn again into policy debates as carmakers have pressed the European Union to relax CO₂ targets. A proposed ban on sales of new combustion engine cars in 2035 has faced intense pressure from the automotive sector and opposition from EU countries with large car manufacturing.

Several senior politicians have suggested plug-in hybrids as a potential “compromise” solution to introduce in the legislation.

One external energy policy specialist, who was not involved with the study, called the analysis a “very useful addition” after a long period in which segments of the automotive sector claimed there was insufficient information to properly evaluate actual CO2 output.

“The results demonstrate, without question, that the gap in lab and actual PHEV energy use and CO₂ emissions is significantly larger than for gasoline or diesel vehicles,” the expert said. “All policy changes concerning PHEVs should be implemented with extreme caution and in the light of that evidence.”