Study Shows Plug-in Hybrids Polluting Far More than Expected
The study said onboard data from about 920,000 vehicles showed real-world emissions far above laboratory figures and urged the EU to keep a 2027 update on track.
- The International Council on Clean Transportation reported a "substantial and fast-growing gap between real-world and type-approval CO2 emissions for PHEVs registered in 2021–2023," analyzing data from roughly 920,000 plug-in hybrids.
- Regulators assumed larger batteries would increase electric driving, but real-world data contradicted this assumption; average CO2 emissions were 3.5 times higher than 2021 values and 4.6 times higher than 2023 values.
- The divergence "misleads consumers about expected energy costs," the ICCT said, while also distorting eligibility for incentive schemes and calculations for automaker emissions compliance.
- German automakers are advocating for plug-in hybrids to remain central to EU decarbonization strategies; pushed by Germany, authorities previously abandoned plans to ban new internal combustion engine vehicles.
- Known for the 2015 "Dieselgate" scandal, the ICCT urged authorities not to delay planned updates to emission calculations and called for using real-world data to guide future policy.
30 Articles
30 Articles
In concrete terms, according to the International Council on Clean Transport, the average CO2 emissions under real conditions were 4.6 times higher than the values approved in 2023.
Sapo
SIC NotíciasThe actual mean CO2 emissions were 3.5 times higher than the approval values in 2021 and 4.6 times higher in 2023.
It has long been known that plug-in hybrids emit significantly more CO2 in practice than car manufacturers claim. However, the gap between official figures and actual emissions has widened even further in recent years. This is the conclusion reached by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) based on data from approximately 920,000 plug-in hybrids registered in Europe between 2021 and 2023.
A study by the NGO ICTC reveals that actual CO2 emissions from plug-in hybrid vehicles far exceed official certification figures.
They would release up to five times as much CO2 as the EU's calculations suggest.
Study shows plug-in hybrids polluting far more than expected
The study by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), a lobbying group, looked at data from the onboard monitors of roughly 920,000 plug-in hybrids registered between 2021 and 2023. It found a "substantial and fast-growing gap between real-world and type-approval CO2 emissions for PHEVs registered in 2021–2023". The type-approval norms include an assumption by regulators about the pollution the vehicles would emit based on the d…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
