Two years ago, it was time to replace a vehicle. The vehicle being replaced had great capabilities in the snow and could do some light hauling, but it was simply horrible at fuel efficiency, averaging just over 15mpg. We wanted to keep the capabilities we had, but with a much greener solution. Our driving mix is mostly local, with the occasional longer trip, and some of those trips take us to places where charging opportunities for a pure EV were limited. That was especially true 2 years ago.
The option of a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) seemed worthy of consideration, with the big selling point being able to run electrically while local and preserving the option to use the gas engine on longer trips. So we took the plunge. Our new vehicle has a pure electric range of 21 miles or so (according to the EPA — we actually get about 23 in the summer) and runs as an ordinary hybrid after that. I know that doesn’t sound like a lot of EV range, but most of the plug-in hybrids are similar. EPA rates the new vehicle at 49 MPGe, or 20 on gasoline only.
The Good Parts
The best news is that we have significantly reduced our gasoline consumption with the new vehicle. It does a great job of tracking electric vs gasoline miles, and about 2/3rds of our driving is pure electric. Pre-retirement, I could do most of my daily commute without burning any fuel. Grocery stores, doctor’s offices, and other local errands are all well within all-electric range. I was surprised at how much gas we saved, having expected that ratio to be more like ½.
Performance is also impressive, even on pure-electric. If you allow the vehicle to use both gas and electric, acceleration is especially amazing, and that continues even when you’ve consumed your electric miles and are operating as an ordinary hybrid.
For the most part, the switching between gas and electric is fairly seamless, with the only perceptible change being the sound of the gas engine coming on.
We received the tax credit (substantial) to offset the cost, and I just discovered that we’re also exempt from the emissions inspection.
Some Cons
One big negative associated with these vehicles is overall efficiency, both in gas and electric modes. I’m sure our electric range would be more if we didn’t have to haul around a gas engine, fuel, and accessories, that are not in use on most local trips.
When running as an ordinary hybrid, gas mileage is actually slightly worse than the pure gas version of this vehicle. That is because of the weight of the battery. Hauling around a discharged battery is bad for your mileage.
Complexity is also a big PHEV downside. There is a turbocharged gas engine and transmission, 2 electric motors, and lots of gear to switch between the 2. There are 3 different cooling systems: battery; electronics/intercooler; and the normal gas engine system. Those are all things to be maintained and eventually repaired.
Internal combustion engines do require a certain amount of minimal use to remain healthy, and the vehicle keeps track of this and will occasionally force you to run on gas in order to burn aging fuel and heat the oil to remove condensation. You don’t get out of oil changes either — you will have to change the oil based on time interval.
Don’t get lazy about plugging it in at night, either. Remember that it will get worse mileage than a pure gas vehicle if you don’t charge that battery. I suspect a lot of people buy these and just don’t get the benefits because they don’t charge often enough.
Oh, and we have an EV tax here — PHEVs pay 50% of the EV rate. Someone has to pay to keep up those roads.
Conclusions
This vehicle did meet the specific set of needs we had at the time, and as long as we maintain our mix of mostly local driving, with an occasional long trip, it probably still makes sense. At least for now.
But if your driving is all (or nearly all) local or long-distance, this technology makes no sense at all. You’ll be hauling around components you don’t need, and you’ll never get the benefits.
With the charging network growing, it will probably be appropriate to go with an all-electric vehicle with our next purchase. We’d be able to go for days/weeks of local driving without charging, and reasonable charge times on longer trips wouldn’t be an issue, as long as the network is there.
In conclusion, I think this is probably the only PHEV we’ll ever own. It meets a very specific transitional need, but will likely wind up as a footnote in the migration to pure EVs.
Cheers.