Plug-in Hybrid electric Cars Pollute Nearly as Much as Gasoline Vehicles, Report Finds
Plug-in hybrid cars produce nearly 5x more planet-heating emissions than official data indicate, according to a new report.
Growing Discrepancy In Lab and Real-World CO2 Output
Data shows that PHEVs emit only 19% less CO2 than conventional gas and diesel cars, according to analysis conducted by a advocacy organization. That contrasts significantly with laboratory estimates, which assumed a three-quarters decrease in emissions.
Analysts examined data from onboard energy use monitors of eight hundred thousand cars sold in the EU between 2021 and 2023. The team found that actual CO2 emissions from PHEVs in 2023 were 4.9 times higher than official figures, up from three and a half times in 2021.
“Real-world emissions are rising, while official figures are falling,” stated a lead researcher involved in the study. “That discrepancy is growing and poses a significant issue. As a result, PHEVs pollute almost as much as gasoline cars.”
Key Reasons Driving the Discrepancy
Analysts linked most of the difference to overestimates of the “electric driving share” – the percentage of miles driven in battery mode compared to overall mileage. They determined that just a quarter of travel was completed in EV mode, whereas lab assumptions suggested over four-fifths.
Even, when operating in electric mode, pollution amounts were significantly higher than lab projections. That happened because electric motors were insufficiently powerful enough to operate independently, resulting to engines burning gasoline for nearly a third of the travel covered in electric mode.
Regulatory and Financial Consequences
According to estimates, the underestimation of PHEV CO2 output enabled four major automaker groups to escape over €5bn in penalties between 2021 and 2023, by artificially simplifying adherence with European Union fleet-average CO2 standards.
Additionally, drivers of PHEVs would pay about €500 extra per year in operating expenses than would be assumed under lab tests.
“The bold claims that automakers like to make about their plug-in hybrid vehicles are clearly far from the mark,” commented a automotive analyst. “Buyers are being misled into believing that by purchasing a PHEV, they are benefiting the planet and saving money. In reality, PHEVs are little better than regular gas and diesel vehicles in terms of energy consumption, CO2 production, and running expenses.”
Political Debate and Automotive Lobbying
Plug-in hybrid vehicles have lately been brought again into political debates as carmakers have lobbied the European Union to relax CO2 targets. A proposed prohibition on new combustion engine cars in 2035 has faced heavy pressure from the car industry and opposition from member states with large car industries.
Several senior politicians have suggested PHEVs as a possible “flexibility” solution to include in the regulation.
An external energy policy specialist, who was unaffiliated with the research, called the analysis a “very useful contribution” after years in which segments of the automotive industry argued there was too little information to accurately assess actual CO2 output.
“The results demonstrate, beyond any doubt, that the difference between official and real-world PHEV energy use and CO2 emissions is much, much greater than for gasoline or conventional cars,” they said. “All regulatory changes concerning PHEVs should be implemented with utmost caution and in the light of that evidence.”
