Plug-in hybrids almost as dirty as petrol and diesel cars, study claims

New research out of Europe claims the tailpipe emissions of plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) are barely an improvement over petrol and diesel cars.

The study, by independent lobby group Transport and Environment (T&E), tracked the emissions data of 127,000 PHEVs across the European Union, collected by the European Environment Agency (EEA).

According to the findings, the PHEVs produced an average of 135 grams of CO2 per kilometre in the real world – compared to 166g/km from equivalent petrol and diesel cars.

Typically, PHEVs combine a small battery and electric motor/s with a petrol engine, allowing the average owner to commute to and from work each day using only electric power – with the petrol engine meant to be used to supplement performance, charge the battery, and allow the vehi