It seems that having two power producers in a car is a huge extra cost, but (1) the cost maybe for quite some time far less than the cost of on-board batteries and (2) there are always applications where a conventional fill-up will make sense.
I believe that in cold weather, rural situations, and where there’s a need for all-day, heavy fuel usage a PHEV will make sense.
“I believe that in cold weather, rural situations, and where there’s a need for all-day, heavy fuel usage a PHEV will make sense.”
And it makes sense in relieving range anxiety and charging time. You can cover everyday driving with the 40-50 miles electric and easily recharge at night. For long trips you can go with gas.
Seems like having both gives you a lot of flexibility and peace of mind - and great gas mileage.
Pretty sure our next car is going to be PHEV.
The last vehicle I purchased was a PHEV minivan. I spend a lot of time thinking about it and analyzing the cost/benefit. For our particular use case it was the perfect vehicle.
All our short trips and errands around town, plus a lot of idling waiting for kids is done on electric. The battery is small so a level 2 charger in our garage fills up in 2 hours from empty — easily manageable between errands.
For longer trips, including a couple 3000+ mile family vacations, the car works perfectly. No range anxiety, quick fill ups, and plenty of space for passengers and cargo.
For many people who do not have regular access to charging, I can see Hybrids and PHEVs being a good solution, especially since the smaller battery can give you 4-5 vehicles for the same amount of battery as a single BEV.