All About Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs)

An overview of PHEVs and why some people refuse to consider them a "proper" Electric Vehicle... and dogs and cats and stuff.
#ev #phev #electricvehicle #cars #pluginhybrid #cat #dog

0:00 - intro
0:33 - what is a PHEV?
4:36 - stupid skit
5:10 - driving a PHEV
7:57 - charging a PHEV
10:11 - owning a PHEV
11:55 - summary

[stannovacki]

this is one of the better summaries of PHEVs. the majority of articles I"ve read and videos I've seen say a PHEV "lets you drive on electricitiy until you run the battery down, then let the gas-hybrid portion take over" which is the least efficient way to drive a PHEV. Even Consumer Reports has made this mistake.

as this video suggests, you can (and I say SHOULD) prioritize using the battery drive where it makes sense, like neighborhoods and secondary streets, and using gas-hybrid mode for higher speed travel like on highways. my personal opinion is that most people just want a driving appliance where they get in and go without needed to 'adjust' the car for any reason. while you can do that in a PHEV, actually engaging with the vehicle and operating it appropriately for conditions (like when manual transmissions were the norm) results in a more rewarding (and economical) driving experience.

I routinely get > 125 mpg using this mixed-mode approach. I would NEVER be so foolish to exhaust my Ford C-Max Energi's smallish 7.6 kWh battery in highway driving, just to revert to gas-hybrid mode afterwards. use EV mode driving out of the neighborhood and the side streets approaching the entrace to the highway, switch to gas-hybrid mode (Ford called it EV Later) when on the highway, then use the bettery mode on the side-streets to get to your destination. using this approach I get an estimated 700+ miles of range with a 14 gallon tank.

thank you for this thoughtful comparision of PHEVs with other vehicles, I hope it helps folks make better buying decisions.

PS: I rarely charge in public because 1. I don't need to 2. most public chargers seem to be DCFC nowadays (J1772 combo-only) and 3. EV driver rage.

PPS: a PHEV spends less time at a public charger than a BEV because of the comparatively-smaller battery pack needed. ergo, a PHEV will free up its charger faster than any BEV.

[jimlowenberg]

The key is to own a phev that has enough battery for the daily drive. I own a generation 2 Chevrolet volt and love it. Virtually I do not buy gas unless I take a trip. I use the cord that came with it and charge the battery on a 220 outlet. It does a full charge in 4 hours, 8hours if I use a 110. Good video.

[PamenterDoug]

I just bought a used 2021 Kia Niro PHEV and love it. The public electrical infrastructure where I live Surrey, BC, Canada still has a long way to go. Half the chargers at the local mall do not work or work only sporadically. Today I found a great working charger at a quiet park not too far from home.

[lloydtatum]

My 2016 fusion energi
w/120k mi still gets 14 mi on battery. Everything is near home. Almost never burn gas. Live in an apartment but live 1/2 mi from chargepoint charger. Never get shade from bev owners.

[mathieularocque]

A couple of point I would like to add
1- the fuel saving on a phev most of the time will not offset the cost of the vehicule itself, even with tax credit it will take for most vehicule around 80000 km just to break even if you plug in every day and dont use the gas engine
2- the charge settings on a phev can be really usefull for saving fuel, for the outlander 2023 phev for example it take about 3L to recharge the battery to 80% in about 1h 30 minute of time for the efficiency it give about 6.6L / 100km which is a bit better than simply using the gas engine ( claimed in a review I saw but I did not test it myself)
3- the charging mode cant be usefull in a emergency to power other thing with the vehicule, many phev have a 120v outlet that can power a good amount of watt for camping or in case of emergency
4- if most of your commute is covered by the battery on a phev and you occasionnally go on longer trip then it can be a good choice. Also some workplace offer charger for their employee so you can sometime get away with not paying for charging cost which can help you save or get even with the vehicule cost faster
5-if you plan on keeping the vehicule for a long period of time, most phev at least for now keep a really good re-sell value
6- the co2 emission reduction is kind of mitigated for now, rhe added cost of production for most phev emir more c02 than what you will end up saving over a few years, rhe hybrid generally is a a better saving of c02 I believe
7- for the bev people, a phev has all the right to use a lvl2 plug in a charging station has you have, the do what the vehicule was made for, if you have a problem with waiting your turn yro charge buy a phev or a bev with a better range that will let you go to a charger with nobody there, a lot of apps now can tell you if the plug are occupoed or not

[fxiques]

Best of both worlds, you can drive a Phev to work everyday on electric, and then drive across the country without “Range Anxiety”…You don’t need two different vehicles…

[Edvard.Munchkin]

Well, that's the fault of the BEV vehicle. Phev is entitled to use the spot. That's like somebody with a drop of fuel in the tank waiting to fill up but the guy in front has half a tank. One is more critical than the other, but it's your own fault for letting it go so low

[oypovjl]

Regarding the 2023 Toyota Prius Prime, is it able to run on the gas engine and the electric motor only? The Ford Fusion Energi has a feature called EV Later; where the battery is cut-out (disengaged) and the engine fully takes over, powering the generators which feed the electricity to the motor. Which is exactly like a diesel-electric railroad locomotive.

[stephenstange]

I’ve had my Volvo S60 T8 Recharge (a PHEV) for about a month. Driven over 1000 miles, still have 1/2 of the original tank of gas. Most of my driving is local. As to boring?? Not a chance, in performance mode I get 455hp AWD. Nothing boring about that. Looking forward to my first long road trip soon.

[Rhaman]

2018 Hyundai Ionic PHEV, a magnificent vehicle that does as advertised. EV Mode has 29-30 miles. The Hybrid Mode can yield over 60 mpg. The first 90 miles or so using 1 gallon of gas is insanely excellent! Purchased off lease with 20K miles, the top trim level has technology that enhances safety. One new PHEV, Prius Prime, can go 40 miles on EV Mode. For thousands upon thousands this technology will work to reduce emissions and reduce fuel expenses.

[SunnyUBC]

Mike, do the PHEV batteries face accelerated battery degradation if the cars are parked outside (not in a garage) in cold Canadian winter season - e.g. upto -25 degree celcius ? Or should people who do not have garage and face cold temperatures as a season, are still okay owning such battery operated / PHEV vehicleS?

[NV-xdui]

I didn't find my prius prime 2024 boring to drive, but I pay much less to insure it comparing to BEV, not to mention great reliability scores, no range anxiety and so forth

[MooseOnEarth]

Hello Mike, this is a nice introduction for Jane and Joe average carbuyer in the US. It may need an update though to include newer PHEV models and updated information on tax rebate and incentives.

[mikecupp]

Been driving a chevy volt for 6 years now. Great phev. 50 to 60 miles all electric range then 45 to 47 mpg on gas after that.

[brandoncarr]

Good video. Although I think the dog stole the show at the end :D

[ukcarver]

BMW say I should get 57 miles of electric but I get 65 miles on a regular basis and on longer journeys I have No range issues.

[rossbrownlee]

We have an Audi A3 Etron PHEV, and routinely go months without using fossil fuel. We don't travel far, and always plug in, so it drives electric all the time. we drove across Canada last summer, and it was a very thrifty hybrid, using about 5l/100km of fuel. If you regularly do city commutes, and plug in as soon as you get home, these things are great!

[Molishious]

I’ve gotten into some back and forth with EV enthusiasts who don’t like PHEV’s. It starts with arguments like nobody plugs them in or you still have to change oil or they are less reliable. But what it boils down to is that you are still burning oil and that’s not good enough for some. I have a PHEV that is a good EV most of the time and a very good hybrid when I want to go long distances. I chose the PHEV so I wouldn’t have to compromise on range and worry about broken chargers. In exchange I have to maintain my engine much like you would with a hybrid. Maybe that engine will last longer since it almost only gets used on the highway and rarely has to deal with stop and go. So far so good. I made a choice and the vehicle is working as advertised. So it’s maintained it’s resale value well, much better than most EVs and it has been practical. But I’m still burning stuff. So there you go.

[donays]

3 Questions, if i don't plug-in my car will damage the electric battery?
2 If the battery is not good anymore we can still use the car?
3 the only hybrid car still running if the battery is not working anymore?

[BobBacheler]

Good stuff. I just bought a BMW X5 and elected to go for the 40i as I do a lot of highway driving. Not optimal for the PHEV variant.