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PHEVs emit almost five times greater global warming pollution than official figures show, as per a new analysis.

Growing Gap Between Official and Real-World CO2 Output

Statistics reveals that PHEVs release just 19% less CO₂ than traditional petrol and diesel vehicles, based on analysis carried out by a advocacy organization. That differs significantly with lab tests, which suggested a 75% decrease in pollution.

Analysts studied information from onboard fuel consumption meters of 800,000 cars sold in Europe from 2021 and 2023. The team discovered that actual CO₂ output from PHEVs in 2023 were nearly five times higher than official figures, increased from 3.5 times in 2021.

“Actual emissions are increasing, while lab-reported figures are decreasing,” stated a senior researcher involved in the study. “That gap is growing and creates a serious issue. As a result, PHEVs emit almost as heavily as petrol vehicles.”

Key Factors Driving the Discrepancy

Analysts attributed most of the gap to inflated estimates of the “electric driving share” – the percentage of miles driven in battery power compared to total mileage. They found that only a quarter of driving was completed in EV mode, while official estimates assumed 84%.

Even, when running in electric mode, emission levels were significantly higher than lab estimates. That happened because EV motors were not strong enough to function independently, leading to combustion motors using gasoline for almost a third of the travel covered in EV mode.

Regulatory and Financial Consequences

Based on calculations, the lowballing of PHEV CO2 output enabled four large carmaker groups to escape over €5bn in fines between 2021 and 2023, by artificially simplifying compliance with European Union average fleet CO₂ standards.

Furthermore, owners of PHEVs could pay approximately €500 more annually in running expenses than is assumed under lab conditions.

“The strong statements that automakers often promote about their PHEV cars are clearly far from the truth,” commented a transport expert. “Consumers are being misled into believing that by purchasing a PHEV, they are helping the planet and cutting money. In reality, PHEVs are little improved than regular petrol and diesel vehicles in terms of fuel use, CO₂ emissions, and operating expenses.”

Political Discussion and Automotive Pressure

Hybrid cars have lately been brought again into policy discussions as automakers have pressed the EU to weaken CO₂ targets. A proposed ban on new combustion engine cars in 2035 has faced heavy lobbying from the car sector and opposition from EU countries with significant car manufacturing.

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

An external energy policy specialist, who was not involved with the research, called the report a “highly valuable contribution” after a long period in which segments of the automotive industry argued there was too little data to properly assess actual emissions.

“The results show, beyond any doubt, that the difference in lab and real-world PHEV fuel consumption and CO₂ output is much, much larger than for gasoline or conventional cars,” the expert stated. “Any regulatory adjustments regarding PHEVs should be made with utmost care and considering this data.”