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🇭🇷 Croatia /Environment & Climate

Plug-in hybrids emit up to five times more CO₂ in real-world driving, study finds

From Večernji List · () Croatian

Translated from Croatian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Plug-in hybrid cars emitted an average 3.5 times more CO₂ in real-world driving than homologation values in 2021, rising to 4.6 times more in 2023.
  • The ICCT attributed the gap mainly to drivers charging less often and using electric mode less frequently than regulatory calculations assumed.
  • A methodology revision expected next year could make plug-in hybrids less useful to manufacturers seeking to meet European emissions targets.

Plug-in hybrid cars emit up to five times more carbon dioxide on the road than the figures used in European Union regulatory calculations, according to a study by the International Council on Clean Transportation, or ICCT.

The study found a widening gap between real-world emissions and results from type-approval tests for plug-in hybrids registered between 2021 and 2023. Average real-world emissions measured 3.5 times the approved values in 2021 and 4.6 times those calculations in 2023.

It may seem contradictory, but increasing the electric range of new models has not in reality led to greater use of electric mode.

· Peter MockThe ICCT Europe director explained why newer plug-in hybrids had not reduced the real-world emissions gap.

ICCT said the main reason was that the vehicles were charged less often and driven in electric mode less frequently than assumed in the original calculations. Peter Mock, director of the organisation’s European branch, said the findings might appear contradictory because longer electric ranges in newer models had not translated into more electric driving in practice.

The revision will probably reduce the attractiveness of plug-in hybrid cars as a means for manufacturers to meet European CO₂ targets for new cars.

· Peter MockMock described the likely effect of the expected methodology change.

A review of the calculation method expected next year will likely reduce the appeal of plug-in hybrids as a way for manufacturers to meet European CO₂ targets for new cars, Mock warned. He said the change should also lead to a further decline in their market share.

Plug-in hybrids accounted for about 10% of new-car registrations in Europe from January through July 2026, up from 9% during the same period a year earlier. Fully electric cars reached a 22% share. The findings come as some automakers, particularly German manufacturers, press for plug-in hybrids to remain part of Europe’s vehicle decarbonisation strategy. The European Commission proposed greater flexibility in December, after pressure from Germany, including a plan for manufacturers to cut emissions by 90% from 2021 levels and offset the remaining 10%.

It should also lead to a further reduction in their market share.

· Peter MockMock forecast a further decline in plug-in hybrids’ share after the methodology revision.
About this summary

Originally published by Večernji List in Croatian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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