(I tried searching for this topic before creating the thread.) Sorry for what I imagine is a super easy question for you guys. I am considering getting a PHEV (Kia Sorento) in the near future (1-3 months), but I am a little confused on the PHEV contribution. I have read articles saying different things. If I have a PHEV, would it run OK for an extended period without charging (on gas only). I ask because my jeep is falling apart and I'll need a new vehicle pretty soon. I plan on moving next summer but it will be ~1500 miles from where I live. My jeep won't make it (it broke down on the way here). Once I'm there, I'll have the ability to plug in daily, but my current apartment does not have the capability. If it could run for a couple months without plugging it in, I'll almost certainly get it. If not, I may not be able to do the plug-in thing until my next vehicle (usually 5-8 years)...
If you don't plug it in it will run like a hybrid charging the battery during brake regen and going down hills.
My 2016 Hyundai Sonata Plug-in can run on gas only. Since it doesn't have an electric cabin heater, that's what I do in the winter until the cabin heats up, at that point I switch to EV only mode. As a maintenance thing, you could also use one the expensive public chargers, or maybe a free one if available, once a month just in case that makes any difference. Note that an electric cabin heater works really, really well if you do a lot of short trips in a winter climate. For Washington state's climate, I wouldn't buy a PHEV without an electric cabin heat. Before you buy an electric vehicle make sure the local dealer will be able to service the vehicle. You don't want to have to put the vehicle on a flatbed truck for a hundred plus miles just to fix something that's broken. If you decide to buy an electric vehicle, make sure you carry appropriately sized wrench to disconnect 12 volt battery for a couple of minutes to reboot the computer. Also carrying one of those glass breakout hammers is a good idea for any vehicle.
We’ve had two: 25 mi EV - not worth it in the city but great highway 56 MPG 72 mi BMW i3 - perfect for city but only 39 MPG on the rare highway trips Traded in the 25 mi EV for a Tesla Model 3. Bob Wilson
If the round trip commute from home to work and back is < 5 miles, would that change your thoughts on the utility of the PHEV? Again, genuinely asking because I have literally zero experience with these vehicles, but I like having as much info as possible going into a decision such as this.
One last question since a few of you replied. What type of mileage would you expect for a PHEV with no charge? My best (ignorant) guess would be that it would not perform as well and maybe not even as well as the traditional ICE version of the vehicle because of the added weight with a negligible contribution to output..?
This really depends on how much of your total driving distance is your commute. A short commute like yours would be fully electric, which is especially advantageous in traffic, where you barely use any power while gas vehicles are idling away their fuel. You might use very little gas ever if most of your driving is to/from work. A friend of mine has a PHEV and has used $30 of gas for 3000 mi driving because of his 15 mile commute. Having the gas engine is helpful as a backup for long distances, though it remains a separate maintenance issue that you won’t escape unless you go fully electric. I love my Kona’s long electric range and zero engine maintenance. Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs
I have a Honda clarity PEHV, my commute to work is less than 10miles each way. I really love driving this car as an electric vehicle. I pretty much hate driving it on gas. It’s ok on the highway and if I head somewhere other than work and take the highway I save electric and switch to gas. Around r Town the gas engine isn’t fun to drive. I would often run out of charge around town when doing more than just commuting…like if I did the gym then work it was OK but then anything else and I am out of charge. Getting a 240v charger at home did improve things. So long as I have at least an hour I can get an extra 20 miles charged up. All that being said my experience with the PEHV has made me more comfortable switching to an EV…. I’ve been looking for a while trying to figure which route to go next…. And at the moment I am leaning towards getting a KIA EV6 when they hit the market later this year…..
