Hybrid cars emit only 19% less CO2 than gasoline and diesel cars, but according to laboratory studies, it was believed that hybrids pollute the environment by 75% less.
This was reported by the human rights group Transport & Environment in its report, according to The Guardian.
Researchers analyzed data from the on-board fuel consumption meters of 800,000 cars registered in Europe between 2021 and 2023. Experts found that carbon dioxide emissions from hybrid cars in real-world conditions in 2023 were 4.9 times higher than the results of standardized laboratory tests in 2021.
“Real emissions are increasing, while official emissions are decreasing. This is a gap that is widening, and it is a real problem. As a result, hybrids pollute almost as much as gasoline cars,” said Sofia Navas Golke, a researcher at Transport & Environment and co-author of the report.
Why there is a discrepancy between laboratory testing and real-world testing
According to the researchers, 27% of hybrid car driving was done in electric mode, although official estimates predicted 84%.
Even when the cars were running in electric mode, the analysis found that pollution levels were significantly higher than official estimates. The researchers said this was because the electric motors were not powerful enough to run on their own, so their engines burned fuel for almost a third of the distance traveled in electric mode.
The researchers calculated that the underestimation of hybrid car emissions allowed the four major car manufacturers to avoid fines of more than €5 billion between 2021 and 2023. This made it possible to artificially facilitate compliance with the average CO2 emission targets for European Union car fleets.
Experts added that hybrid drivers will also pay approximately €500 more per year in operating costs than was predicted by laboratory tests.
EcoPolitic previously wrote about the least environmentally harmful automotive fuels:
1. Gas (LPG, CNG).
2. Biofuels (bioethanol, biodiesel).
3. Electric transport.
4. Hybrid cars.
