Article on the future of PHEVs.

[MNSteve]

I, too, think that the future of the automobile is with BEVs, and not PHEVs. However, I understand why that's not going over well in the segment of this forum dedicated to the Clarity PHEV. Heresy!

But I think that PHEVs will become obsolete only when the average BEV can be charged for 300+ miles of driving in 10 minutes or less, and there are a sufficient number of EV ultra-fast-charge stations nationwide (or in Europe, continent-wide) that the average BEV driver won't have much more difficulty finding one than he has in finding a gas station today. All that certainly won't happen in the next 5 years. So near-term, at least, the market for PHEVs isn't going to fade away.
...
It certainly does seem that an article comparing BEVs to PHEVs which ignores the only PHEV in production (now that the Chevy Volt is dead) with an EPA-rated range exceeding the distance of an American driver's average daily commute (which is ~40 miles), is rather poor coverage of the subject. I don't know if that's a case of ignorance or not, but the article certainly does a disservice to its reading audience.

We are at the mercy of politicians here. In theory, the market should make the decision. In reality, the market is going to be steered, in this specific case, by the price of gasoline. The history is clear in the US - gas prices go up and the sales of more efficient vehicles go up; gas prices fall and the sales of American Land Boats skyrocket. The US public loves its big powerful gas guzzler. And it is that public that drives the market, and the market drives things like the development of the charging infrastructure and the amount of resources that the car companies are willing to dedicate to things like EV research.

So, yeah, I agree with you that the future of the automobile is with BEVs. But I expect to be long dead before the percentage of BEVs increases to the point where they're considered "the norm". Right now, and for the mid-term future, PHEV is the best choice for me. If I felt that I could graduate to a BEV and not have to tote around a heavy battery, that would be great, but right now a 50-mile EV range and the ability to use gasoline (which today is pretty cheap) is the right choice, for me. Everyone needs to find the vehicle that comes the closest to matching their driving patterns.

As for this specific article, I find it typical of what we see today. The author is woefully ignorant of the topic but the publication is eager to publish anything that looks authoritative.

 

[insightman]

The author got tired of all the bashing from Clarity owners--he believes mentioning the Clarity Plug-In Hybrid would have weighed down readability and muddied a point. The big closing point Mr. Jungreis doesn't want to muddy is that PHEVs "that get well under 30 miles of electric range; electric ranges below 30 miles just don’t cut it anymore." The Clarity PHEV certainly does muddy that point (also, in his defensive post, he claims Honda was late to the electrified party--I won't ask him if he ever heard of the Honda Insight).

jason jungreis says:
April 4, 2019 at 9:08 am
While I appreciate the concern that I “forgot” or “hadn’t heard of” or “didn’t do [my] research to stumble across” the Honda Clarity, I am in fact aware of it. (I don’t believe anything I wrote demonstrated a lack of such awareness.) Its existence is neither here nor there regarding what I wrote — inclusion of all possible related facts weighs down readability and muddies a point.

I am glad that you all enjoy your Claritys — which, given Honda’s lateness to the electrified party, seems to be well-executed and indeed have benefited from the opportunity to study the work of others. (One could now go on to identify all the PHEVs on the market, but of course that is already this site’s purpose.)

 

[MNSteve]

jason jungreis says:
April 4, 2019 at 9:08 am
While I appreciate the concern that I “forgot” or “hadn’t heard of” or “didn’t do [my] research to stumble across” the Honda Clarity, I am in fact aware of it. (I don’t believe anything I wrote demonstrated a lack of such awareness.)

This guy is oblivious. It's what he DIDN'T write that demonstrates the lack of awareness. "I have my mind made up; don't confuse me with facts."

 

[MPower]

Me thinks he doth protest too much (to hide his ignorance?).

 

[Pushmi-Pullyu]

The existence of the Clarity PHEV doesn't "muddy" his point; it at least partially and perhaps completely refutes his point. That's why he deliberately omitted any mention of it. So, his omission wasn't a result of ignorance, but rather a case of him deliberately ignoring facts in order to present a false argument. To be blunt: It's lying by omission.

Yes, unfortunately most PHEVs have an EPA-rated electric range of 30 miles or less, which is simply inadequate for the needs of the average driver. But the inadequate range isn't due to it being impossible or even especially difficult to put a larger capacity battery pack into a PHEV; it's simply because most auto makers are not interested in offering any sort of plug-in EV -- either BEV or PHEV -- which will offer serious competition with their gasmobiles.

All just my opinion, of course. YMMV: Your Mileage May Vary.

​