Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
When I see hybrids getting 50mpg with more than enough power for 99% of people - I tend to think fully electric vehicles sound pointless although it may indeed be where we wind up.
At 50mpg driving average mileage it only costs a few hundred bucks more to fuel a hybrid. Plus with a hybrid you have an unlimited driving range (gas stations) and no need to remember plugging up. So what’s the compelling argument for going fully electric?
And cars that can run 40-50 miles on battery power are already somewhat common...so why the burning desire to be fully electric? 40-50 miles covers daily driving for ~80% of people. An efficient ICE (they seem to continually improve) seems like the perfect compliment to the batteries.
Is it the environmental angle? The novelty of being fully electric?
When I see hybrids getting 50mpg with more than enough power for 99% of people - I tend to think fully electric vehicles sound pointless although it may indeed be where we wind up.
At 50mpg driving average mileage it only costs a few hundred bucks more to fuel a hybrid. Plus with a hybrid you have an unlimited driving range (gas stations) and no need to remember plugging up. So what’s the compelling argument for going fully electric?
And cars that can run 40-50 miles on battery power are already somewhat common...so why the burning desire to be fully electric? 40-50 miles covers daily driving for ~80% of people. An efficient ICE (they seem to continually improve) seems like the perfect compliment to the batteries.
Is it the environmental angle? The novelty of being fully electric?
I've wondered that myself.
And for those of us who don't drive much (about 5000 miles a year), the added fuel mileage of a hybrid or diesel will never make up for the additional cost.
I think some of the bigger picture goals is to be greener and use renewable energy. This isn't to say EV is the ultimate answer (vs. fuel cell) or if the net difference is really as big as most think. Simply responding to your question.
That said - anecdotally. I'm paying $6-$10 on "filling up" my EV vs. $40 for my ICE.
But your EV was so much more expensive so it offsets the gas savings - I guess that depends.... Compare a Model 3 against a Prius - sure. But compare a Model 3 against a BMW 3 series... not so much.
At the end of the day - it's not about what's "needed" (we're talking consumer products, after all. Do we really need 500HP in a car?). It's about having the option to choose from different cars.
For today, I agree - good hybrid powertrains already increase MPGs by about 1/3, and they still use the existing fueling infrastructure, so are very convenient. I think they are the best product today for most consumers. We need more attractively priced products like the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry hybrids.
Electric vehicles though should be the long run solution. Fossil fuels won't be available forever, and climate change is a real and growing problem.
Environmental angle, potentially much lower maintenance costs, and within a decade, potentially lower production costs for roughly the same vehicle. Hybrids are great, but one thing to recognize is that part of hybrids becoming as good as they are now is investment in the electric vehicle components. Improvements to batteries and motors benefit both hybrids and full EVs.
Many people don't want to buy the type of hybrid that gets 50 MPG like a Prius or Ioniq or such. While the Camry and Accords might be a step in the right direction, they are still limitted in power, with low rolling resistance tires that don't handle very well. A Highlander hybrid gets 30 MPG. A Yukon 23. Those are still better than their gas only brethren, but as @OutdoorLover said, still burning a lot of fuel.
PHEV seems to be the optimal spot now because with ~50-80 miles of all electric range, most drivers can juice up at night in their own homes and still not have to worry about the poor electric charging infrastructure we have right now, but if the industry scales as I expect it will in maybe 10-20 years, then fully electric would be the next logical step.
Just my .02
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
