Plug-in hybrids pollute almost as much as petrol cars, report finds

[cbabe]

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/16/plug-in-hybrids-pollute-almost-as-much-as-petrol-cars-report-finds

Plug-in hybrids pollute almost as much as petrol cars, report finds

Analysis of 800,000 European cars found real-world pollution from plug-in hybrids nearly five times greater than lab tests

Ajit Niranjan Europe environment correspondent
Thu 16 Oct 2025 00.00 EDT

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) pump out nearly five times more planet-heating pollution than official figures show, a report has found.

The cars, which can run on electric batteries as well as combustion engines, have been promoted by European carmakers as a way to cover long distances in a single drive – unlike fully electric cars – while still reducing emissions.

Data shows PHEVs emit just 19% less CO2 than petrol and diesel cars, an analysis by the non-profit advocacy group Transport and Environment found on Thursday. Under laboratory tests, they were assumed to be 75% less polluting.

The researchers analysed data from the onboard fuel consumption meters of 800,000 cars registered in Europe between 2021 and 2023. They found real-world carbon dioxide emissions from PHEVs in 2023 were 4.9 times greater than those from standardised laboratory tests, having risen from being 3.5 times greater in 2021.

“Real-world emissions are going up, while official emissions are going down,” said Sofía Navas Gohlke, a researcher at Transport and Environment and the co-author of the report. “This is the gap that is getting worse and it is a real problem. As a result, PHEVs pollute almost as much as petrol cars.”

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[fargone]

1. I wonder if this would also apply to non plug-in hybrids

[Bluetus]

3. This smells really fishy

Last edited Thu Oct 16, 2025, 11:54 PM - Edit history (1)

The organization putting this out is very light on details about their mission and funding. They claim to be pro-environment, but it has the feeling of a false flag operation. They talk about their mission being to "shape the debate" as opposed to presenting the best facts and science.

My guess is it is funded largely by carmakers and fossil fuel companies that are trying to get relief from environmental regulations.

Can anybody shed light on this organization?

[cbabe]

5. From their site:

https://www.transportenvironment.org/about-us/funders

https://www.transportenvironment.org/about-us/supporters

https://www.transportenvironment.org/about-us/annual-reports

Also:
I don’t think they’re knocking the 19% necessarily. I think they’re questioning the ev hype.

[LT Barclay]

7. My personal experience with a Chevy Volt says this is bunk Pd

We are running a lifetime average of 195 mpg and my nose says that there are less fumes when the gas engine is running. What regular car can compare with that?

[synni]

8. There are many types of pollution that have no odor

[LT Barclay]

10. Yes, but I'm sure they would be an equal percentage of the exhaust. Therefore, a comparison of one component, what is

detectable, would be an indication of the overall pollution. Even if that exceeded a reasonable margin of error, and let's assume a 40 mpg car compared to the volt, you are contending that the Volt emits 5-6 times what the 40 mpg car emits? What component of standard gasoline would behave that differently from one engine to the next?
It might be comparable with a total lifecycle comparison due to the batteries. But battery technology will advance quickly and could be easily swapped into an existing vehicle. That can't be done as easily with a complete internal combustion engine.

[moniss]

2. A 19% reduction is still significant and

while the "real world" is always different than a tightly controlled lab test I find that many people use reports like this to crap on the idea of PHEV use as a component among many in a strategy to reduce emissions and particulates. I see things like this from time to time and they tend to push the idea that since this or that aspect doesn't achieve nearly complete success of eliminating emissions then it should be discounted as far as receiving support or pursuit.

The reality is that in formulating a program to achieve major impact the program will have many components and each one will have it's own level of reduction in an overall strategy. Sometimes when people pick a particular component in the program they are either ignorant of the concept of developing and applying a multi-component program or they have an agenda. I suspect by the title of The Guardian article that it may well be the latter on the part of the author. Simply stated achieving a 19% reduction, if one accepts the methodology used in this report, is still a major contribution in overall emissions reduction. The article paints it as more or less insignificant and so "why bother".

[Thunderbeast]

4. Love to see the details of their analysis

I drive two PHEVs. My Chevy VOLT as burned less than ten gallons of gasoline in the last 15 months...because the car forces me to burn fuel that has been in the tank for more than a year. My Toyota RAV4 Prime is used for occasional road trips, and runs at least 80% of it's miles on electric. My total gasoline consumption for this period is less than 100 gallons (about six and a half gallons per month for both cars).

All of the electric power for the cars come from rooftop solar. I see no way that the carbon footprint of these cars is 81% of a gasoline engine (even if I were using grid power).

[cbabe]

6. Contact:

https://www.transportenvironment.org/contact-us

[Bluetus]

9. These arguments are usually "wells to wheels", but that's not a good comparison

Last edited Fri Oct 17, 2025, 11:23 AM - Edit history (1)

Let's ignore the plug hybrids for a moment, because their gas usage could be close to an EV (i.e. none) or close to a regular hybrid -- all depending on the owner's lifestyle. You can't make generalizations about that.

But you can certainly generalize about a hybrid versus a comparable gas-only vehicle. A good hybrid these days gets 40-55 MPG all day long. If we compare a Prius at 55 MPG to a same-size gas car, we're looking at low-30s at best. There is no way the hybrid only decreases emissions by 19%.

These fossil fuel advocates like to include plug-in because then they can assume that the plug electricity comes from the dirtiest possible source, the most polluting coal plant ever. That just isn't the case. Most of the coal plants have been replaced with natural gas. And lots of solar and wind power is coming online every year. If not for AI, we would be eliminating natural gas plants at a high rate now.

So if they want to be fair, they should point the finger at these AI data centers. The AI industry should be held accountable for the environmental impact they are causing.