Plug in Hybrid electric Cars Pollute Nearly as Much as Gasoline Cars, Report Finds
Plug-in hybrid cars release almost 5x greater planet-heating pollution than lab-reported data show, according to a new report.
Widening Gap Between Lab and Real-World Emissions
Data reveals that PHEVs emit only one-fifth less CO2 than traditional gas and diesel vehicles, according to analysis carried out by a advocacy group. This contrasts sharply with lab estimates, which assumed a 75% reduction in pollution.
Analysts studied information from onboard energy use monitors 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 greater than lab estimates, increased from 3.5 times in 2021.
“Actual emissions are increasing, while lab-reported emissions are decreasing,” said a senior researcher involved in the study. “That gap is widening and poses a serious issue. As a result, PHEVs pollute almost as heavily as gasoline vehicles.”
Key Factors Behind the Discrepancy
Researchers attributed most of the difference to overestimates of the “utility factor” – the percentage of kilometers travelled in battery power relative to total distance. The team found that just 27% of travel was completed in EV mode, whereas official assumptions suggested over four-fifths.
Even, when operating in EV mode, pollution levels were significantly higher than lab projections. This occurred because electric motors were insufficiently powerful sufficient to operate independently, leading to engines using fossil fuels for almost one-third of the distance covered in electric mode.
Regulatory and Economic Consequences
According to calculations, the lowballing of PHEV CO2 output allowed several large automaker groups to avoid more than €5bn in penalties from 2021 and 2023, by artificially simplifying compliance with European Union fleet-average CO2 targets.
Additionally, owners of PHEVs would spend approximately €500 more annually in operating costs than would be assumed under laboratory conditions.
“The bold claims that automakers like to make about their plug-in hybrid cars are clearly way off the mark,” commented a transport expert. “Consumers are being duped into believing that by buying a PHEV, they are benefiting the environment and saving costs. In reality, PHEVs are little improved than standard gas and diesel vehicles in terms of fuel use, CO2 emissions, and running expenses.”
Political Debate and Automotive Lobbying
Hybrid vehicles have lately been drawn again into political debates as automakers have lobbied the European Union to weaken CO2 standards. A planned ban on new internal combustion cars in 2035 has faced intense lobbying from the automotive industry and opposition from member states with large automotive manufacturing.
Several high-level politicians have suggested plug-in hybrids as a potential “compromise” solution to introduce in the legislation.
An external energy economics expert, who was not involved with the study, described the analysis a “very useful contribution” after a long period in which segments of the car sector argued there was too little data to accurately evaluate actual emissions.
“The results show, beyond any doubt, that the gap between official and real-world PHEV energy use and CO2 emissions is much, much greater than for gasoline or conventional vehicles,” the expert stated. “Any policy adjustments concerning PHEVs should be implemented with extreme care and considering that evidence.”
