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Why are people so against it? I mean, plug-in hybrids are a dead end, they made sense only when batteries were super expensive. With almost all producers being

Why are people so against it? I mean, plug-in hybrids are a dead end, they made sense only when batteries were super expensive. With almost all producers being under $200/kwh and some under $130/kwh, with $100/kwh just around the corner, what's the point of a plug-in hybrid?

timbit42 8y ago
Zero fuel costs on short trips and unlimited range when you need it without needing to wait for recharges.
- anovikov 8y ago
  But expensive and can't be made cheap because it combines complexity and cost of ICE and EV. Was always meant to be just a temporary solution to kickstart li-ion battery mass production to drive down costs.
  - timbit42 8y ago
    Yes, but the 'temporary' phase hasn't ended yet.
    - anovikov 8y ago
      It did. Cost of ICE is adding ca. $7000 to a car's price tag. It buys 35-55 kwh of battery capacity in addition to 10-15 a plug-in hybrid requires. Getting to healthy 45-70 kwh which is typical for a full-on electric car. GM has Chevy Bolt which is a living proof to that.
erik_seaberg 8y ago
Hybrids (or battery swaps) make sense until apartments and employers have power outlets for every parking space.
- anovikov 8y ago
  Not really. For daily driving cycle, you will have enough of battery for charging just once per day, overnight, if you can't do it then plug-in hybrid is of no value to you compared to an ICE car (or a traditional non-plugin hybrid), simply because you don't plug in. For long journeys, you need fast chargers anyway, and you mostly have it on highways.
  - erik_seaberg 8y ago
    Non-plugin hybrids had all the drawbacks of gas engine drivetrains, but I view a plug-in hybrid as an electric car with a backup plan. Pure electric car owners are betting they'll never need that, but some of them are wrong. That said, I've had a reasonably cheap and reliable used Elantra for a while, and I'm holding off on these until the market settles.

timbit42 8y ago

Zero fuel costs on short trips and unlimited range when you need it without needing to wait for recharges.

anovikov 8y ago
But expensive and can't be made cheap because it combines complexity and cost of ICE and EV. Was always meant to be just a temporary solution to kickstart li-ion battery mass production to drive down costs.
- timbit42 8y ago
  Yes, but the 'temporary' phase hasn't ended yet.
  - anovikov 8y ago
    It did. Cost of ICE is adding ca. $7000 to a car's price tag. It buys 35-55 kwh of battery capacity in addition to 10-15 a plug-in hybrid requires. Getting to healthy 45-70 kwh which is typical for a full-on electric car. GM has Chevy Bolt which is a living proof to that.

erik_seaberg 8y ago

Hybrids (or battery swaps) make sense until apartments and employers have power outlets for every parking space.

anovikov 8y ago
Not really. For daily driving cycle, you will have enough of battery for charging just once per day, overnight, if you can't do it then plug-in hybrid is of no value to you compared to an ICE car (or a traditional non-plugin hybrid), simply because you don't plug in. For long journeys, you need fast chargers anyway, and you mostly have it on highways.
- erik_seaberg 8y ago
  Non-plugin hybrids had all the drawbacks of gas engine drivetrains, but I view a plug-in hybrid as an electric car with a backup plan. Pure electric car owners are betting they'll never need that, but some of them are wrong. That said, I've had a reasonably cheap and reliable used Elantra for a while, and I'm holding off on these until the market settles.