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> "it can easily be a net win over a gas car" oh, I agree. I just don't see it as a win over a plug-in hybrid with a gas generator, yet. In ~6 months of owne

> "it can easily be a net win over a gas car" oh, I agree. I just don't see it as a win over a plug-in hybrid with a gas generator, yet. In ~6 months of ownership of a Volt, I've been to the gas station about 4 times (all on a trip to/from another state) at 5-10 minutes per stop, and have never lost time waiting for a charge. The supercharger network is a nice step, and combined with electric vehicles with a 200+ mile range, we're a step closer to electric vehicles becoming the norm. But there are still obstacles to be overcome -- still some inconveniences that are better solved by other technologies.

mikeash 11y ago
That does sound like a pretty good compromise. I wanted a plug-in hybrid for a long time, but never found one that was good enough for what I wanted, and finally ended up with the Tesla instead. I don't think it's inherent to the technology (although the gas engine takes up some space), but everything on the market was just too small, especially in terms of cargo. Apparently the Volt has a whole 10ft^3 of trunk space? I think it's just because everybody besides Tesla is still aiming for the compact, economical, Prius-like market.
- kalleboo 11y ago
  The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV seems like it's finally filling the niche of a bigger plug-in hybrid car. I know a friend with one and he's happy with it.
  - mikeash 11y ago
    That's the one I had my eye on for years. It was supposed to be available in the US in 2013, then 2014, then 2015.... Now they're saying August of this year, but we'll see if it's real. Edit: I just looked up the specs. The PHEV version (at least the UK one) apparently drops the third row seats. I can't figure out the available cargo space. Everything I find says it's 436L, which is about 15ft^3, but there's no way it could possibly be that small. In any case, all I can say is: no wireless, less space than a Nomad, lame.

mikeash 11y ago

That does sound like a pretty good compromise. I wanted a plug-in hybrid for a long time, but never found one that was good enough for what I wanted, and finally ended up with the Tesla instead. I don't think it's inherent to the technology (although the gas engine takes up some space), but everything on the market was just too small, especially in terms of cargo. Apparently the Volt has a whole 10ft^3 of trunk space? I think it's just because everybody besides Tesla is still aiming for the compact, economical, Prius-like market.

kalleboo 11y ago
The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV seems like it's finally filling the niche of a bigger plug-in hybrid car. I know a friend with one and he's happy with it.
- mikeash 11y ago
  That's the one I had my eye on for years. It was supposed to be available in the US in 2013, then 2014, then 2015.... Now they're saying August of this year, but we'll see if it's real. Edit: I just looked up the specs. The PHEV version (at least the UK one) apparently drops the third row seats. I can't figure out the available cargo space. Everything I find says it's 436L, which is about 15ft^3, but there's no way it could possibly be that small. In any case, all I can say is: no wireless, less space than a Nomad, lame.