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PHEV are more convenient and generally better. A Toyota Rav4 PHEV, Prius or may others, are shockingly fuel efficient relagtive to older car stock. I had not re

PHEV are more convenient and generally better. A Toyota Rav4 PHEV, Prius or may others, are shockingly fuel efficient relagtive to older car stock. I had not replaced a car for 16 years and found getting actual 52-54mpg out of a much larger and heavier vehicle genuinely shocking. Most people have a relatively short commute where the modest range of PHEV still allows them to mostly be on electric.

hedora 17d ago
I can’t imagine buying a car that needs to go to the gas station to refill at this point, now that we have ev’s. This total cost of ownership calculator can be helpful: https://afdc.energy.gov/calc/ https://afdc.energy.gov/calc/ Compared to a bmw i3, it’s price and (anecdotal) reliability are kind of comparable, but the annual cost is >2x more, and the carbon footprint is >4x. (I had to pick a slightly older i3 to compare, since it’s discontinued). As you point out, the rav4 is bigger. A lightning truck is bigger than the rav4 hybrid, but with lower purchase cost (2023, base for both). The lightning has higher per year costs though. It’s pretty clearly game over for ICE/hybrids. Tariffs and bribed politicians can’t change the underlying price and performance advantage.
- trescenzi 17d ago
  In Connecticut it is only now cheaper to use electric instead of gas in my prius prime. I get 50-53 mpg highway, even over very long distances I drive to family in STL a few times a years, and electric is $0.33/kWh. So even at around 4 miles/kWh I'm paying $0.0825/mile for electric which breaks even right around $4.25/gallon. So it's really going to depend upon where you live. That's not to say I wouldn't buy an electric car tomorrow if I had the option. My somewhat frequent long drives make gas slightly preferable but these days I'd much prefer electric.
- unethical_ban 16d ago
  For someone who drives long distances or travels in the Western US, I think hybrids make more sense than EV. I know in Texas I could get an EV but it would extend trips quite a bit and make planning more important in when and where to charge the vehicle. I can't see myself buying a new pure-ICE vehicle again right now. The mechanical advantages of the e-CVT are too nifty, the mileage benefits too great, for me to think of spending $40k on a car just to have more "fun horsepower". Mazda/Toyota hybrids and the Ford Maverick are on my shortlist if the time comes for me to replace my paid-off car.

hedora 17d ago

I can’t imagine buying a car that needs to go to the gas station to refill at this point, now that we have ev’s. This total cost of ownership calculator can be helpful: https://afdc.energy.gov/calc/ https://afdc.energy.gov/calc/ Compared to a bmw i3, it’s price and (anecdotal) reliability are kind of comparable, but the annual cost is >2x more, and the carbon footprint is >4x. (I had to pick a slightly older i3 to compare, since it’s discontinued). As you point out, the rav4 is bigger. A lightning truck is bigger than the rav4 hybrid, but with lower purchase cost (2023, base for both). The lightning has higher per year costs though. It’s pretty clearly game over for ICE/hybrids. Tariffs and bribed politicians can’t change the underlying price and performance advantage.

trescenzi 17d ago
In Connecticut it is only now cheaper to use electric instead of gas in my prius prime. I get 50-53 mpg highway, even over very long distances I drive to family in STL a few times a years, and electric is $0.33/kWh. So even at around 4 miles/kWh I'm paying $0.0825/mile for electric which breaks even right around $4.25/gallon. So it's really going to depend upon where you live. That's not to say I wouldn't buy an electric car tomorrow if I had the option. My somewhat frequent long drives make gas slightly preferable but these days I'd much prefer electric.
unethical_ban 16d ago
For someone who drives long distances or travels in the Western US, I think hybrids make more sense than EV. I know in Texas I could get an EV but it would extend trips quite a bit and make planning more important in when and where to charge the vehicle. I can't see myself buying a new pure-ICE vehicle again right now. The mechanical advantages of the e-CVT are too nifty, the mileage benefits too great, for me to think of spending $40k on a car just to have more "fun horsepower". Mazda/Toyota hybrids and the Ford Maverick are on my shortlist if the time comes for me to replace my paid-off car.