Study shows plug-in hybrids polluting far more than expected

A study of nearly 920,000 plug-in hybrids released Thursday by the International Council on Clean Transportation found real-world CO2 emissions running 3.5 to 4.6 times higher than official type-approval figures, a gap that has widened fast between 2021 and 2023. Regulators had assumed bigger batteries would mean more driving on electric power, but the real-world data didn't back that up.

The ICCT, the group behind the 2015 Dieselgate revelations, said the mismatch misleads consumers about fuel costs, unfairly grants the vehicles favorable incentive treatment, and distorts whether automakers are actually meeting emissions targets. It's urging the EU not to delay a planned 2027 recalculation and to base future updates on real-world driving data rather than assumptions.

The study lands as German automakers push to keep plug-in hybrids central to the EU's decarbonization strategy, after Germany already helped scrap the bloc's 2035 ban on new combustion-engine sales in favor of a 90% emissions cut with room for compensation.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.