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PHEVs don't seem to be popular but my car (Chevy Volt) has been a great gateway to a future EV. The only times I use any gas is if I do way more driving than u

PHEVs don't seem to be popular but my car (Chevy Volt) has been a great gateway to a future EV. The only times I use any gas is if I do way more driving than usual in a day, or when the "engine maintence mode" kicks in once a month! It has much less maintenance than a normal gas car (2 year interval on oil changes for example), but still more than a pure EV obviously. I don't regret missing out on an EV since the Volt was significantly cheaper at the time, but I look forward to my next car being one.

dragontamer 5y ago
Pure EV won't work for me. I still have hundreds+ mile trips. These trips are nominally 2 to 4 hours long, with planned breaks at specific locations that hold cultural significance to my family. (Yeah, its a bit silly, but certain stops, like a Cracker Barrel, hold significance to my nieces and they'll likely want to stop there on the next road trip. No electric chargers in sight yet, but plenty of gas stations) Even then, changing a 4-hour trip into a 4-hour 30-minute trip for electric charging is just not going to work with kids in the car.
- thatfrenchguy 5y ago
  I mean, you never stop in trips with your kids? That sounds pretty insane to me. I've done 1000+ miles in a EV and the charging times actually make the trip better.
  - dragontamer 5y ago
    Oh, I stop with kids. But its where the kids like to stop. Having the car wanting to have a 30-minute break in an area where the kids don't want a break is just going to add additional, unnecessary hassle to the trip. Supercharger location #532 is not the Cracker Barrel where the kids want to take a break at. Realistically, someone is going to get the short-end of the stick here. And that'd be me: I'd likely have to stop at the Cracker Barrel (to make the kids feel good + get them the silly cheap toys they want to stay happy during the trip), and then I'll have to take another 30+ minute stop at the supercharger later to keep the car going. --------- Have you ever traveled with kids before? When the kids are asleep: you wanna book it as far as you can go. When the kids are awake, you need to take frequent breaks, far more frequently than your electric car demands. If your kids are asleep, you are wasting precious "kid sleeping time" sitting around at a 30+ minute supercharger instead of making good progress. If your kids are awake, there's no damn way they'll want to wait until the next supercharger for a break.
    - thatfrenchguy 5y ago
      > Supercharger location #532 is not the Cracker Barrel where the kids want to take a break at No, it's probably somewhere interesting though. both Superchargers and ElectrifyAmerica in the US are in locations where there's interesting things to do or look at. Chargers are like every 40-50 miles or so, it's not like you have to wait an hour if you want to stop. > Have you ever traveled with kids before? Yes, a lot, in France, and I've never seen kids actually dictating when you stop. Maybe it's a white American parenting thing, or an artefact of how French highways are built where you're not stopping if you just missed the rest area and they're all the same anyway?
      - dragontamer 5y ago
        > Maybe it's a white American parenting thing, or an artefact of how French highways are built where you're not stopping if you just missed the rest area and they're all the same anyway? American highways have terrible rest stops. (Okay, it varies at the State level. Ohio's rest stops are actually really good for example) For actual comfort for a decent stop, you wanna stop at a highway town / tourist trap. These are towns scattered across the US Highway system. There are chain restaurants (ex: McDonalds) if you're trying to make good time, but a nice sitdown place is often more comfortable. Cracker Barrel is a nice chain that caters towards the highway travelers in particular. It has a children-oriented gift shop approximately the size of the restaurant. Its a good place to stop if you have kids. They stock all sorts of games and toys (simple peg-puzzles like solatare, backgammon, chess, checkers. Harmonicas / Kazoos too but don't buy those unless you wanna be annoyed while driving lol.) while also offering a good sized dining area. Its a good place to take a break as an adult, while the kids can browse for toys that will amuse them for the rest of the drive. ----------- That's the thing. I make a decision to stop there for the comfort of myself and the kids. That's a very different thing than going to a supercharger station for 30+ minutes out of necessity. If you take enough road trips along the same route, the kids remember these locations and ask to visit again. The kids aren't the only ones who want to stop at the Cracker Barrel over there, I do too.
- roland35 5y ago
  If you need one car, the PHEV is definitely the best of both worlds. It also is not dependant on fast charging at all, so I did not need to install a level 2 charger at home or worry about my destination. The other benefit is it is still efficient with gas, about 40-45 miles per gallon. The first generation volt required premium fuel but my second gen takes 87, so it is very cheap to operate.

dragontamer 5y ago

Pure EV won't work for me. I still have hundreds+ mile trips. These trips are nominally 2 to 4 hours long, with planned breaks at specific locations that hold cultural significance to my family. (Yeah, its a bit silly, but certain stops, like a Cracker Barrel, hold significance to my nieces and they'll likely want to stop there on the next road trip. No electric chargers in sight yet, but plenty of gas stations) Even then, changing a 4-hour trip into a 4-hour 30-minute trip for electric charging is just not going to work with kids in the car.

thatfrenchguy 5y ago
I mean, you never stop in trips with your kids? That sounds pretty insane to me. I've done 1000+ miles in a EV and the charging times actually make the trip better.
- dragontamer 5y ago
  Oh, I stop with kids. But its where the kids like to stop. Having the car wanting to have a 30-minute break in an area where the kids don't want a break is just going to add additional, unnecessary hassle to the trip. Supercharger location #532 is not the Cracker Barrel where the kids want to take a break at. Realistically, someone is going to get the short-end of the stick here. And that'd be me: I'd likely have to stop at the Cracker Barrel (to make the kids feel good + get them the silly cheap toys they want to stay happy during the trip), and then I'll have to take another 30+ minute stop at the supercharger later to keep the car going. --------- Have you ever traveled with kids before? When the kids are asleep: you wanna book it as far as you can go. When the kids are awake, you need to take frequent breaks, far more frequently than your electric car demands. If your kids are asleep, you are wasting precious "kid sleeping time" sitting around at a 30+ minute supercharger instead of making good progress. If your kids are awake, there's no damn way they'll want to wait until the next supercharger for a break.
  - thatfrenchguy 5y ago
    > Supercharger location #532 is not the Cracker Barrel where the kids want to take a break at No, it's probably somewhere interesting though. both Superchargers and ElectrifyAmerica in the US are in locations where there's interesting things to do or look at. Chargers are like every 40-50 miles or so, it's not like you have to wait an hour if you want to stop. > Have you ever traveled with kids before? Yes, a lot, in France, and I've never seen kids actually dictating when you stop. Maybe it's a white American parenting thing, or an artefact of how French highways are built where you're not stopping if you just missed the rest area and they're all the same anyway?
    - dragontamer 5y ago
      > Maybe it's a white American parenting thing, or an artefact of how French highways are built where you're not stopping if you just missed the rest area and they're all the same anyway? American highways have terrible rest stops. (Okay, it varies at the State level. Ohio's rest stops are actually really good for example) For actual comfort for a decent stop, you wanna stop at a highway town / tourist trap. These are towns scattered across the US Highway system. There are chain restaurants (ex: McDonalds) if you're trying to make good time, but a nice sitdown place is often more comfortable. Cracker Barrel is a nice chain that caters towards the highway travelers in particular. It has a children-oriented gift shop approximately the size of the restaurant. Its a good place to stop if you have kids. They stock all sorts of games and toys (simple peg-puzzles like solatare, backgammon, chess, checkers. Harmonicas / Kazoos too but don't buy those unless you wanna be annoyed while driving lol.) while also offering a good sized dining area. Its a good place to take a break as an adult, while the kids can browse for toys that will amuse them for the rest of the drive. ----------- That's the thing. I make a decision to stop there for the comfort of myself and the kids. That's a very different thing than going to a supercharger station for 30+ minutes out of necessity. If you take enough road trips along the same route, the kids remember these locations and ask to visit again. The kids aren't the only ones who want to stop at the Cracker Barrel over there, I do too.
roland35 5y ago
If you need one car, the PHEV is definitely the best of both worlds. It also is not dependant on fast charging at all, so I did not need to install a level 2 charger at home or worry about my destination. The other benefit is it is still efficient with gas, about 40-45 miles per gallon. The first generation volt required premium fuel but my second gen takes 87, so it is very cheap to operate.