EV vs Plug In Hybrid - Pragmatic vs Idealistic?

Why doesn't Toyota make an EV?? Some EV owners view PHEVs or Plug In Hybrids as archaic half-breeds that should be cast aside in favor of more aggressive EV development. But Toyota, Honda, and other companies have tread a middle-road with plug-in hybrids that causes some folks to say that they are behind the ball, but there is a logic to it all. You may not agree with the business decision, but using the same resources to ship a larger volume of efficiency cars has a bigger net impact on consumption, cost of operation, and emissions...

[michaeldodson]

I bought a Prius Prime last September. We now have 7500 miles on it with 6000 of those strictly on battery. Our gas consumption is almost all traveling 200 miles to visit grandchildren. With a 240 volt charger it is ready to go in two hours and 25 miles gets us to almost all of our local running around. It’s a really great car.

[olneymd]

Alex has an amazing way of taking a complex topic and nicely breaking it down. Great video that reconfirms my hunch that a plug-in hybrid for many is a great option.

[oleghindsite]

Omg now I can't decide between Model 3 or 4 corollas

[zschudrowitz]

This is such a great summary of the electric “whys”. I’ve always wanted such a comprehensive overview and you nailed it. Other than general knowledge this really helps me make car buying decisions.

[Ojisan]

This was really helpful. I’ve been on the fence about trading in my old V6 sedan for a PHEV, but this is pushing me towards PHEV.

[joepah]

Alex you always seem to have the most reasonable approach on car issues. And the EV vs Plug in Hybrid discussion is excellent.
Honestly wish hybrids were mandatory for all personal vehicles sold in the USA.. the reduction in gasoline demand would be enormous, and the extra cost would be minor (Hybrid, not plug in hybrid).

[teslasnek]

We got an EV primarily to save money, and we got a Tesla Model 3 so we would be able to use it for cross-country road trips, something no other EV currently on the market can do as easily. We drove it from San Diego to New York and back, over 6, 000 miles, and it didn't cost us a thing! We would drive on the freeway 4 to 5 hours non-stop, and the longest we ever had to stop to charge between those stints was 20 minutes! We have over 20, 000 miles on the car now and it still hasn't cost us anything in gas or maintenance! We charge it at free public charging stations near our house.

[laggreen]

I think Alex is absolutely right. i heard Toyota did a study and determined there's not enough EV battery capacity for many years to come to switch to BEV for everyone who owns an ICE vehicle. I own a 2019 Model 3. I love it. i don't think I'd go back to an ICE vehicle. Having said that, my mom now drives my old 2016.5 Mazda CX5. She may drive it 10 miles a week. We keep it with a full tank ready to go here in earthquake prone California. So her CO2 output is negligible. To be honest, I bought the Tesla because it's fast and a good looking car. Zero emissions is just a bonus.

[srb]

Thank you for the well thought out and sanguine commentary. One of the biggest problems with the EV right now is the low energy density of the battery pack. The result of this is that an EV sedan ends up weighing like a full size SUV. This is why you see cars like the Lucid Air - which is a gorgeous car - but weighs over 5, 000 lb. So to make this work they need to have exceptionally good aerodynamics and very low rolling resistance tires in order to offset the increased resistance as a result of the excessive weight. And my understanding is that this is a car that will cost $80, 000. The point is because of cost EV penetration in the market will remain low for some time. So in the meantime it's better to put all these engineering improvements into the existing fleet in order to achieve some of the benefits you described in your video.

[raysmithee]

Have had a Honda Clarity for over a year, so I agree with his premise.

[William]

I’m Cheap and I just bought a Prius Prime.🤓

[bluetrepidation]

Interesting video. We seem to talk about cars in 5 to 6 year periods. What about when the car goes on to its second life in the used market? What will be easier to repair out of warranty? What will have a better resale value? I do own a 2008 Prius and can speak to Toyota's reliability. 130k miles and the only repair would be front wheel bearings. But HEV and PHEV are very complicated vehicles since they still include an ICE power plant. To anyone out there shopping on the cheap don't hesitate to buy a used Prius.

[ChuckieD]

Wow... I began thinking PHEV, then thought no, EV, now it's pretty clear to me PHEV is the slam-dunk choice. As a former journalist, I truly respect all the time you put into assessing the cold facts.

[polleyjw]

I have a PHEV (Kia Niro) and the one thing that I feel is missing is that the heat is generated using the gas engine. If it had a longer range (52 rather than 26 miles) then there would be enough power to drive a heater, like the Chevy Volt. I would love something that had a 75 mile range and could be DC fast charged.

Living in the Midwest, I doubt that my wife and I will get a full EV since her family lives 250-450 away and charging will be hard to find in rural areas. With a PHEV, we can just burn gas when on those long trips.

[SavingGreen]

I bought a Clarity for exactly this reason, and I love it! Excellent analysis as always.

[dmunro]

I carefully considered buying a Model 3 or another BEV before deciding on the Prius Prime. I guess the number one factor is that the Prius Prime is relatively cheaper in Canada, than in the USA, and the price works out to about 2 Primes to one Model 3 versus about 1.5 Primes to a Model 3 in the USA. Additionally, I am able to charge the Prime on an existing 120v outlet in my Condo garage, when the Model 3 would have probably required a fairly expensive dedicated charge point. I drive to Arizona on a regular basis and I need a vehicle that can do this stress free and only a PHEV and the Model 3 are really capable of this right now, mainly because of the extensive Tesla Supercharger network, and the ability of the Model 3 to charge very rapidly on non-Tesla DC Fast Chargers. I was/am aware that the rapid introduction of PHEVs would reduce global CO2 emissions more than a slower transition to pure BEVs, in the short term, and currently ~90% of my local driving is in EV mode.
If I could have designed the Prius Prime, I would have substituted in a 1.2L 3 Cylinder Atkinson cycle engine and increased the battery pack to about 15kw, which would have allowed me to use it as an EV almost all the time. Additionally, I would have utilized the spare tire well for the battery pack, rather than placing it above, that now empty space, which reduces the cargo area somewhat.

[stephengoetsch]

I want to complement you very much on the high quality, unbiased, un politicized nature of your reviews and analyses. I am an owner of a 2020 RAV4 hybrid and a 2018 Chevy Bolt EV, both of which I love. I am a climate change skeptic, and generally not particularly environmentally tuned in. But these two vehicles fulfill every mission I have for them economically, and with very low maintenance. A solid 40 mpg in the RAV4, and 4.5 m/kWh in the Bolt, with overnight charging even on 110V! I will never purchase another conventional drivetrain again.

Your analysis makes a lot of sense. PHEVs really do seem to be the most efficient shorter term solution in aggregate. As in most alternative energy analyses, alternatives to fossil fuels seem to make sense only partially, and there are just some situations where it doesn’t make sense to switch away from them. Thanks again. I love your professionalism.

[jimmadger]

Thanks Alex, I know this is a couple of years after this video recording, but It really does make me rethink my options.

[bruceperson]

In late 2017 I became very interested in the Honda PHEV Clarity. I tried to buy one and my closest (and only) Honda dealer didn't have any to show me. The Honda sales manager did let me drive his personal vehicle for a test drive and the noise and the ill fitting seat as well as the older style nav/entertainment system really sent me over to the 2019 Accord Hybrid Touring which I bought. My wife also bought this same car a few days later. The Clarity is still the only car that is large enough for me to fit in (sort of) and has 47 miles of battery range. This 47 miles of range would be all I would need for most days in our local Northern CA location with all the mountains. However the older tech, and too much roof sweep, and coupled with the fact that the dealership seemed to know very little about the car, steered me away from it. From what I can see is that most car makers like Honda are hedging their bets and wringing out the very most from ICE cars. The Electric Clarity isn't even for sale - you have to lease all 89 miles of car range. Honda needs to make a plug in PHEV version of the CR-V that has the range (50-100) miles of the clarity and put their latest high tech stuff from the Accord Touring Hybrid and then step back, advertise crazy, and then be ready to sell and service a real winner. I still think in the long run, BEV will win out but the PHEV with decent range in an SUV/Compact SUV package will give Honda another 5 years of play before they will need to fully play in the BEV market. Thoughts?

[akritenbrink]

OK. I'm going to have to watch this video again when I've had more coffee.