🔗 Share this article Plug in Hybrid electric Vehicles Pollute Nearly as Heavily as Gasoline Cars, Report Finds PHEVs produce nearly five times greater planet-heating pollution than lab-reported data show, according to a recent report. Widening Discrepancy Between Lab and Real-World Emissions Data reveals that PHEVs emit just one-fifth less CO2 than conventional gas and diesel vehicles, according to analysis carried out by a advocacy group. This contrasts sharply with laboratory estimates, which suggested a 75% reduction in emissions. Researchers studied information from in-vehicle fuel consumption monitors of 800,000 cars registered in Europe between 2021 and 2023. They found that actual CO2 emissions from PHEVs in 2023 were 4.9 times greater than lab estimates, up from three and a half times in 2021. “Actual emissions are rising, while official figures are decreasing,” said a senior researcher involved in the study. “That gap is growing and poses a serious issue. As a result, PHEVs emit almost as heavily as petrol cars.” Key Reasons Behind the Discrepancy Analysts linked most of the gap to inflated estimates of the “electric driving share” – the ratio of kilometers travelled in battery power compared to overall mileage. The team determined that only 27% of driving was completed in electric mode, whereas official estimates suggested over four-fifths. Even, when running in EV mode, pollution amounts were significantly higher than lab projections. This happened because electric motors were insufficiently powerful sufficient to operate alone, resulting to combustion motors burning fossil fuels for almost one-third of the distance completed in electric mode. Regulatory and Financial Implications Based on calculations, the lowballing of PHEV CO2 output allowed four large automaker groups to escape over €5bn in penalties from 2021 and 2023, by artificially simplifying adherence with European Union average fleet CO2 standards. Furthermore, owners of PHEVs could spend approximately €500 more per year in running expenses than would be assumed under lab conditions. “The strong claims that manufacturers often promote about their plug-in hybrid cars are clearly way off the mark,” stated a automotive analyst. “Buyers are being misled into believing that by buying a PHEV, they are helping the environment and saving money. Actually, PHEVs are little improved than standard gas and diesel cars in terms of energy use, CO2 production, and running costs.” Political Debate and Automotive Pressure Plug-in hybrid vehicles have recently been brought back into political discussions as automakers have lobbied the European Union to relax CO2 standards. A planned ban on new combustion engine vehicles in 2035 has faced intense pressure from the car industry and opposition from member states with significant automotive industries. Some high-level politicians have suggested PHEVs as a possible “compromise” solution to introduce in the regulation. An independent energy policy specialist, who was unaffiliated with the research, described the analysis a “highly valuable contribution” after years in which segments of the car sector argued there was too little data to accurately evaluate actual emissions. “The results demonstrate, beyond any doubt, that the difference between official and actual PHEV fuel consumption and CO2 output is much, much larger than for petrol or diesel vehicles,” the expert said. “All regulatory adjustments concerning PHEVs should be implemented with extreme care and considering that evidence.”