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Agreed. I would love a good electric minivan (e.g. an electric Honda Odyssey). There are supposed to be a few coming down the pike but I had to buy a cheap used

by D13Fd 3y ago

Agreed. I would love a good electric minivan (e.g. an electric Honda Odyssey). There are supposed to be a few coming down the pike but I had to buy a cheap used internal combustion one for now.

blake1 3y ago
Minivan seems like a great form factor for an EV. Unfortunately, the small number of companies that still make minivans are also the companies that are slowest to adopt EVs.
- prmoustache 3y ago
  It is the ideal form factor for anyone with a little bit of sense. It has the best room/capacity per footprint.
  - CalRobert 3y ago
    They aren't the most aerodynamic and had surprisingly bad fuel economy the last time I looked, but after those concerns it's hard to beat a minivan. I was shocked just how little cargo capacity my father in law's big fancy Mercedes SUV has - I was able to fit more in a Honda Fit (which explains the name!)
    - prmoustache 3y ago
      Don't think fuel economy is a real concern if you compare them to most SUVs.
- amarant 3y ago
  What use case does a minivan solve that a VW ID BUZZ does not? I guess it's technically not a minivan(?), but it's not very far from it!
  - blake1 3y ago
    Are the middle and rear seats in the ID Buzz storable or removable? That was the only thing I remember.
  - D13Fd 3y ago
    I would probably be ok with the abuzz, but you can't but it in the US yet.
hajile 3y ago
The Pacifica seems interesting as the only PHEV around. 32 miles on electric will take you a lot of places while still having a motor means you can haul heavy stuff or even tow without range dropping to nothing.
- kasey_junk 3y ago
  If the middle seats on the hybrid were stow and go like the rear ones I’d already own one of these. Sadly that’s where the batteries are. I like the simplicity of an all electric drivetrain but I’m a single car household so range anxiety and charger time/availability is a real consideration still.
- stephencanon 3y ago
  My next-door neighbor (single dad with three kids) has one and it's a goddamn delight. He just got a Tesla to replace it because he took a new job that's outside of the battery-only range of the minivan and his eldest is big enough to sit in front now. Not nearly as nice of a car, but he wants to be all-electric, and was stuck on his commute. Alas.
- uptime 3y ago
  I have one and it has been great. We had to buy the most expensive trim to get one - not sure that is true anymore. We mostly use the battery as we live in a small city. Most of our commute and errands are within range or it swaps to gas. I fill up every other month if that. If we go on the road of course it’s basically an ICEbox but still gets better mileage than my older toyotas did. It charges the battery from our home charger in a couple of hours so on weekends we end up using the battery twice a day.
- loudmax 3y ago
  My plug-in Prius gets about the same range. If that range is sufficient for most of your driving, I think PHEV is a fantastic compromise between driving electric most of the time and switching to ICE when you need the additional range.
- aidenn0 3y ago
  Can't tow with the Pacifica PHEV though
thebruce87m 3y ago
I saw a VW id Buzz in the road the other day

by D13Fd 3y ago

Agreed. I would love a good electric minivan (e.g. an electric Honda Odyssey). There are supposed to be a few coming down the pike but I had to buy a cheap used internal combustion one for now.

blake1 3y ago

Minivan seems like a great form factor for an EV. Unfortunately, the small number of companies that still make minivans are also the companies that are slowest to adopt EVs.

prmoustache 3y ago
It is the ideal form factor for anyone with a little bit of sense. It has the best room/capacity per footprint.
- CalRobert 3y ago
  They aren't the most aerodynamic and had surprisingly bad fuel economy the last time I looked, but after those concerns it's hard to beat a minivan. I was shocked just how little cargo capacity my father in law's big fancy Mercedes SUV has - I was able to fit more in a Honda Fit (which explains the name!)
  - prmoustache 3y ago
    Don't think fuel economy is a real concern if you compare them to most SUVs.
amarant 3y ago
What use case does a minivan solve that a VW ID BUZZ does not? I guess it's technically not a minivan(?), but it's not very far from it!
- blake1 3y ago
  Are the middle and rear seats in the ID Buzz storable or removable? That was the only thing I remember.
- D13Fd 3y ago
  I would probably be ok with the abuzz, but you can't but it in the US yet.

hajile 3y ago

The Pacifica seems interesting as the only PHEV around. 32 miles on electric will take you a lot of places while still having a motor means you can haul heavy stuff or even tow without range dropping to nothing.

kasey_junk 3y ago
If the middle seats on the hybrid were stow and go like the rear ones I’d already own one of these. Sadly that’s where the batteries are. I like the simplicity of an all electric drivetrain but I’m a single car household so range anxiety and charger time/availability is a real consideration still.
stephencanon 3y ago
My next-door neighbor (single dad with three kids) has one and it's a goddamn delight. He just got a Tesla to replace it because he took a new job that's outside of the battery-only range of the minivan and his eldest is big enough to sit in front now. Not nearly as nice of a car, but he wants to be all-electric, and was stuck on his commute. Alas.
uptime 3y ago
I have one and it has been great. We had to buy the most expensive trim to get one - not sure that is true anymore. We mostly use the battery as we live in a small city. Most of our commute and errands are within range or it swaps to gas. I fill up every other month if that. If we go on the road of course it’s basically an ICEbox but still gets better mileage than my older toyotas did. It charges the battery from our home charger in a couple of hours so on weekends we end up using the battery twice a day.
loudmax 3y ago
My plug-in Prius gets about the same range. If that range is sufficient for most of your driving, I think PHEV is a fantastic compromise between driving electric most of the time and switching to ICE when you need the additional range.
aidenn0 3y ago
Can't tow with the Pacifica PHEV though

thebruce87m 3y ago

I saw a VW id Buzz in the road the other day