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Our Favorite Movie Car MistakesShould a Plug-In Hybrid Be Your Next Vehicle?
Plug-in hybrids offer the benefits of both full EVs and gas-powered cars, making them a natural bridge to broader electrification.
What Is a PHEV?
PHEVs, as in plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, reside in an obscure niche between traditional hybrids and full electric vehicles. Like traditional hybrids, a PHEV combines a gas engine and electric motors powered by a battery pack to power the car. But PHEV’s carry larger battery packs capable of giving the car limited electric-only driving range, typically 25-40 miles. As the name implies, this does require plugging in a PHEV like you would any modern EV (electric vehicle).
What then is the advantage of a PHEV versus a hybrid, EV, or gas-powered car? That comes down to two key facets of American’s driving behavior. First, the Department of Transportation estimates that the average distance traveled by American motorists in a day is 35 miles. That means that, on average, a PHEV’s electric-only range covers most driving situations.
Wait, you say, why not just drive an EV then? The answer there gets us to our second facet. The US is a big country geographically. The typical maximum range for an EV is between 250 and 350 miles. That means road tripping or gridlocked commuting can make “range anxiety” a very real concern when driving an EV. A PHEV, with its gas engine offers substantially greater range than an EV, between 400 and 600 miles or roughly equivalent to a gas-powered car.
The advantages of a PHEV for owners are its twin abilities to provided electric-only, emissions-free driving for the vast majority of the miles traveled while also being able to travel long distances without having to hunt for an EV charger or risk getting stuck by the roadside.
The Answer to Our Gas vs EV Woes?
Not only do PHEVs have practical advantages over EVs or gas-powered cars, but they, like traditional hybrids, are critical bridge technologies screaming for boarder adoption. Indeed, PHEVs are a brilliant solution to the questions posed by our current transition away from fossil fuels and toward board electrification of passenger cars.
There is a lot of heated discussion surrounding this shift away from internal combustion. Recent EPA regulations call for a rapid reduction in overall US fleet emissions, with the Biden administration targeting half of all auto sales to be “zero emission” by the end of the decade.
Major hurdles stand in the way, however. Even with Tesla’s supercharger network, the US lacks anywhere close to the number of chargers needed to support such a level of EV adoption. Additional electrical grid infrastructure, monumental in scale and scope, will also be needed. Though funding is in place, the rate at which all this can be built out remains in question.
And then there is the issue of resources. The batteries that power EVs, PHEVs, and traditional hybrids all require rare-earth elements like cobalt, nickel, graphite, and lithium. The race is on worldwide for mining rights and business partnerships as demand for batteries soars among carmakers.
PHEVs use roughly a sixth the amount of battery material as an EV, spreading scarce resources more evenly while providing zero-emission driving for most of its mileage. *
The One Big Catch for PHEVs
The thing with plug-in hybrid electric vehicles is you have to plug them in. If you thought EV owners have anxiety about range, wait until you see the anxiety from electrification advocates/detractors surrounding whether PHEV owners do or do not plug in their vehicles. One recent study found UK PHEV owners were neglecting to plug in their PHEVs, robbing themselves of some 25% of their potential electric-only range. Not only does this negate the fuel cost savings of a PHEV, but it also means substantially greater emissions.
The typical PHEV takes eight to twelve hours to fully charge using Level 1 charging a.k.a. your standard 120-volt household outlet. For most owners, this would mean plugging in their PHEV overnight. Sure, you need to remember to do it, but it is easier than the expense of getting a 240-volt charger installed in your garage for an EV (that is if you have a garage).
Current PHEVs On the Market (With Ranges!)
Not all PHEVs offer extended electric only ranges. Performance carmakers have taken to plug-in hybrid propulsion as a great source of additional horsepower and torque, frequently trading output for electric range. Below is a look at some of the longest and shortest electric-only ranges among PHEVs on the market today.
Longest PHEV Electric-Only Ranges
- Toyota Prius Prime: 44 Miles
- Toyota RAV4 Prime: 42 Miles
- Volvo S60 and V60 (Ext. Range): 40 Miles
- Volvo S90: 38 Miles
- Ford Escape PHEV: 37 Miles
- Lexus NX 450h Plus: 37 Miles
“PHEV for Speed” Electric-Only Ranges
- Ferrari 296 GTB: 8 Miles
- Porsche Cayenne Turbo S-Hybrid: 15 Miles
- Mini Cooper SE Countryman All4: 18 Miles
Should You Consider a PHEV?
If you are currently shopping for a vehicle, whether gas, hybrid, or EV, a PHEV offers distinct advantages to you, the consumer, by reducing your fuel costs, eliminating any range anxiety that would come with an EV, and all while serving the wider goal of reducing emissions. The shift away from fossil fuels and toward electrification will take years and a lot of heavy lifting to achieve. In the meantime, if reducing emissions is at the forefront of your vehicle purchasing decision, a PHEV just might be the best powertrain option out there.
*Toyota cites this as one of the major reasons behind their go-it-slow approach to launching new EVs. Noting further that traditional hybrids use 1/90th the battery material of an EV and those hybrids can therefore offer 37 times the emissions savings of a single EV.
