EV, PHEV, or hybrid?

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Skyhawk1

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Hi all,
I anticipate replacing my ICE car within the next year. Either that or keeping it as a road trip car or backup car. Not sure yet. Dodge Charger... gets about 25-26mpg around town and around 30mpg highway. V6.

Anyway, I live in Amish country in PA... so I put a lot of miles on... distances are farther for everyday errands and such. I travel approx 10 miles one way to work each day ... but with running errands, a meeting here or there I place about 40-50 miles on a day frequently sometimes up to 100miles several
Times a week. I travel several times a year to see family or day trip about 220miles round trip.

So I was debating plug in hybrid vs EV vs hybrid. I was leaning toward Prius hybrid.. it’s more in my price range and seems to have good reliability record, and great gas mileage.

I love tech, so the more digital “stuff” I get to look at inside the car the better. I love all things electronic.. so I want something that fulfills that techy thing in me.

I am concerned with range anxiety, but pure EV appeals because of simplicity. However the plug in hybrid is appealing because I can probably get at least my work commute on pure electric, and I don’t get the range anxiety.

The hybrid seems less “EV” to me but if it’s fuel efficient, techy, and low maintenance costs, then I may be content with that.

Coming from a Charger, I’m not necessarily looking for performance - more fuel efficiency (gas/electric), fulfills the techy in me, and is low cost of maintenance compared to ICE car.

I appreciate your thoughts. Oh. Also, I would consider used as well.

Thanks
Skyhawk1
 
I too would prefer a BEV because of the simplicity.

In the summer, a Bolt has a 238 mile EPA range for your occasional longer trips.
and if the destination is family, they prolly wouldn't mind you plugging in while there.
And if it's just a road trip, perhaps you can find a charging station somewhere.
There's also the two Korean cars: Kia Niro and Hyundai Kona, and the Tesla 3.
In the winter, such a trip would be more difficult as range drops dramatically with temperature.
Either your Charger or a rental might be better for those occasional long winter trips.
(or if you were retired, like me, you could just stay home when the temperatures dip far below freezing)

But for your day to day, year round short stuff I don't think there would be much problem with one of those BEVs.
And more are coming.

Unfortunately, the bigger the battery pack the more expensive the car. So all those BEVs are still more expensive a purchase than a Hybrid or PHEV.
So ... there's that.
 
I would not rate your use cycle as particularly demanding. With "up to 100 miles" as a daily requirement and your out-of-town trips being 220 miles round trip, a long-range (~250 mi) pure EV could handle all your travel. A 150-mile Leaf can also work, assuming you can find a fast charge or overnight charging opportunity near your family.

For a PHEV, assuming you don't charge at work and want to drive electric on your normal days, I would take your 20 mile roundtrip and add 25% to cover wintertime range reduction, therefore a PHEV with at least 25 miles of electric is an option. Ford Fusion, Hyundai Sonata, and others are in this range. To cover more of your other errands on electric, there are two options for 50-ish mile PHEV range: the Honda Clarity, and picking up one of the last Chevrolet Volts (or shop used). Note that some of these PHEV will run the engine in cold weather to generate more heat for the cabin - the cutoff temp varies with model and can be researched in the model-specific forums here.

My EV range calculation is: 40-50 mile desired reserve + range I want to drive x 125% so for your 50-mile days I would want about a 110 mile EV. That assumes you are willing to charge to do a 100-mile day. If not, you are looking for about a 170 mile EV.

Note all these are to compare to the EPA range. Those that drive 80 mph or otherwise are aggressive frequently ask why they get so much less than EPA rating. But if you currently get 30 mpg in a regular car, I assume you are a reasonable driver.

Bottom line is that you have a lot of choices. There are both EVs and PHEVs that will cover your needs, as well as many hybrids that get over 40 mpg. The choice will likely depend on other factors, such as cargo needs, passenger space, styling, and desired handling.
 
You also need to look at your charging options when looking at BEV. I am going to assume that there are not too many quick chargers in your area. If you drive about 100 miles in a day, and you have a car with a range of 115 miles, you are taking a risk in case something outward happens.

So that begs three questions. First what charger can you install in your house?. If you can put 240 V 80 A charger in your house, you might able to be meet most needs at home and you should be OK. Second, what public charging options are available on your route and are they quick chargers.? This is where you can go to and at least make sure you have enough charge to get home. Third, what is the range of the BEV you are looking at. I would not chose anything less than 200 miles, if you anticipate doing over 100 miles on several days a month.

If you are sure about charging, PHEV is your best bet.
 
I’d recommend an end-of-lease, plug-in hybrid with maximum EV range. This keeps the purchase price reasonable and enough EV range to figure out if it works for you.

EVs and plug-in hybrids are not a universal solution for everyone but it was my mentor.

Bob Wilson
 
BTW, the free PlugShare.com is a great way to survey charging options. It has a good trip planning tool too.

Bob Wilson
 
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