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> The key point is that a BEV and PHEV can provide similar environmental benefits. Each has a unique profile and can be an optimal solution in different circums

> The key point is that a BEV and PHEV can provide similar environmental benefits. Each has a unique profile and can be an optimal solution in different circumstances. By having a diversified product portfolio with multiple forms of vehicle electrification, Toyota can let consumers choose the model that best suits their usage needs and cost profile while maximizing the total contribution to GHG reduction. What? No you are just confusing customers by offering them technology alternatives that they won’t have the time to understand. Very few people are going to make a table of 5-year TCO comparing a PHEV to a BEV. Toyota’s lack of commitment to developing long-range BEVs is frustrating. They really seem to believe that they can’t bring down battery costs enough to make a fully electric Camry at the cost of the ICE vehicle.

N1H1L 6y ago
> The key point is that a BEV and PHEV can provide similar environmental benefits. Yeah, this is dangerously bordering on falsehoods.
- fignews 6y ago
  Not going to back that up? Look I prefer a BEV too but if you only drive a few miles every day it doesn’t make sense ecologically or financially to be lugging around a huge battery. Additionally a person might opt for a PHEV instead of BEV+ICE to meet all of their needs.
  - N1H1L 6y ago
    The fuel for the PHEV still needs to be extracted, processed and burnt. It's not non-existent. Secondly, the weight and complexity of a PHEV is comparable if not more than a pure BEV. So when it comes to lugging around stuff, PHEVs are absolutely not the answer too. The answer probably is a BEV with a smaller battery.
udev 6y ago
Not sure what is so startling in this. In a city, a PHEV with a smaller and cheaper battery (say 80km range) can be equivalent, or very close to a BEV: enough range for daily commute, nightly charging, etc.
totalZero 6y ago
You may think customers are not smart enough to judge different powertrain options, but they are smart enough to know their preferences and that's why PHEV makes sense in this moment. If you're a one-car household it's not necessarily enticing to go fully electric on your next car, especially if the charging infrastructure isn't very fleshed out in your area or you have occasional power outages that last longer than a couple of days. It's not a question of total cost of ownership, and it's not a question of battery cost either. It's about owner lifestyle. I am happy to jump headlong into technologies that I love, and I presume many others on HN do as well, but not every consumer has the same preferences as people on HN. Look around you next time you're driving.
philistine 6y ago
Isn’t Toyota the biggest automaker by number of cars? If so, that means they’re selling cars in every small corner of the world. They can’t move fast, there’s probably not enough lithium being mined right now to support a complete switch. So they’re taking it slowly. What’s more galling is that they’re still trying to make hydrogen cars happen, and that probably explains a lot of why they’re not going as fast as they should on electrifying their offerings.

N1H1L 6y ago

> The key point is that a BEV and PHEV can provide similar environmental benefits. Yeah, this is dangerously bordering on falsehoods.

fignews 6y ago
Not going to back that up? Look I prefer a BEV too but if you only drive a few miles every day it doesn’t make sense ecologically or financially to be lugging around a huge battery. Additionally a person might opt for a PHEV instead of BEV+ICE to meet all of their needs.
- N1H1L 6y ago
  The fuel for the PHEV still needs to be extracted, processed and burnt. It's not non-existent. Secondly, the weight and complexity of a PHEV is comparable if not more than a pure BEV. So when it comes to lugging around stuff, PHEVs are absolutely not the answer too. The answer probably is a BEV with a smaller battery.

udev 6y ago

Not sure what is so startling in this. In a city, a PHEV with a smaller and cheaper battery (say 80km range) can be equivalent, or very close to a BEV: enough range for daily commute, nightly charging, etc.

totalZero 6y ago

You may think customers are not smart enough to judge different powertrain options, but they are smart enough to know their preferences and that's why PHEV makes sense in this moment. If you're a one-car household it's not necessarily enticing to go fully electric on your next car, especially if the charging infrastructure isn't very fleshed out in your area or you have occasional power outages that last longer than a couple of days. It's not a question of total cost of ownership, and it's not a question of battery cost either. It's about owner lifestyle. I am happy to jump headlong into technologies that I love, and I presume many others on HN do as well, but not every consumer has the same preferences as people on HN. Look around you next time you're driving.

philistine 6y ago

Isn’t Toyota the biggest automaker by number of cars? If so, that means they’re selling cars in every small corner of the world. They can’t move fast, there’s probably not enough lithium being mined right now to support a complete switch. So they’re taking it slowly. What’s more galling is that they’re still trying to make hydrogen cars happen, and that probably explains a lot of why they’re not going as fast as they should on electrifying their offerings.