Niro PHEV 1st Month
I'm 5 days early. But, we'll round it off and call it a month.
So, how has the PHEV held up over this time? Pretty good.
The cold has started coming and that gives us a better idea of the winter mileage. The Niro uses the engine to heat the car. So that means that the engine comes on intermittently in the colder weather. And it is definitely digging more into the gas tank.
That being said, it isn't bad. We've done some longer drives and the mileage is fantastic. We're around 750km, and we're down 1 bar. Or about 100kms of the original gas range. And, most of that lost gas range is still from longer drives on the highway.
Our average mileage right now is 1.4L/100km.
So, this has largely proven our theory that we do most of our driving in an average day within the battery range. 41kms is apparently enough for us most of the time.
Charging infrastructure is crap where I live. We've only have 1 chance to park near a public charger, and we went out of our way to try it in part because of this. It was to Ikea. And the 4 chargers that fit our car were all taken. We haven't had another chance before or since really.
Furthermore, along the way to my brother's place which I've visited 3 times this summer already (all prior to the PHEV) there are virtually no charging stations. I imagine that the situation is better on the way to my other brother in Quebec City as Quebec actually has a decent push towards electrification. And the quantity of chargers seems OK on the way to my parent's as that is all along major highways. I need to make a trip that way in November, so I may try and stop along the way and check it out.
In short, this month has confirmed literally everything I deduced before diving in. Ontario isn't ready yet for an all electric future. PHEVs remain the optimal choice for many who want a taste of that electric future without the concerns. If you have 2 cars, then maybe you can get away with one BEV and one Gas/Hybrid/PHEV vehicle. But, unless you can guarantee you'll always be within battery range it seems like the range anxiety concerns are valid. Unless you can afford a Tesla.
That is a critical caveat. If you're looking at a Tesla, then the normal rules don't apply. The Tesla Supercharger network has both more stations and faster charges than the average charger. And Tesla's can use both chargers, whereas the reverse isn't true. I don't imagine much planning would be required on the part of a Tesla owner to make any of the trips I discussed. And while longer than normal stops would be a requirement... the cost of the full tank of gas I'd be saving, even after electricity costs, would pay for a meal while I wait to charge it.
So, the conclusion is this... if you can justify the extra cost, buy a PHEV. Otherwise by a hybrid. If you REALLY have the cash though, buy a Tesla. Don't bother (in Ontario at least) buying any other all electric vehicle unless you're absolutely certain of your range needs. And remember, this is Canada. You won't reach max range on a typical day. Cold winters mixed with hot and humid summers will see you making the most of the climate systems and/or conditions which already seem to rob batteries of their power.
But yeah. I'm loving my new vehicle.
So, how has the PHEV held up over this time? Pretty good.
The cold has started coming and that gives us a better idea of the winter mileage. The Niro uses the engine to heat the car. So that means that the engine comes on intermittently in the colder weather. And it is definitely digging more into the gas tank.
That being said, it isn't bad. We've done some longer drives and the mileage is fantastic. We're around 750km, and we're down 1 bar. Or about 100kms of the original gas range. And, most of that lost gas range is still from longer drives on the highway.
Our average mileage right now is 1.4L/100km.
So, this has largely proven our theory that we do most of our driving in an average day within the battery range. 41kms is apparently enough for us most of the time.
Charging infrastructure is crap where I live. We've only have 1 chance to park near a public charger, and we went out of our way to try it in part because of this. It was to Ikea. And the 4 chargers that fit our car were all taken. We haven't had another chance before or since really.
Furthermore, along the way to my brother's place which I've visited 3 times this summer already (all prior to the PHEV) there are virtually no charging stations. I imagine that the situation is better on the way to my other brother in Quebec City as Quebec actually has a decent push towards electrification. And the quantity of chargers seems OK on the way to my parent's as that is all along major highways. I need to make a trip that way in November, so I may try and stop along the way and check it out.
In short, this month has confirmed literally everything I deduced before diving in. Ontario isn't ready yet for an all electric future. PHEVs remain the optimal choice for many who want a taste of that electric future without the concerns. If you have 2 cars, then maybe you can get away with one BEV and one Gas/Hybrid/PHEV vehicle. But, unless you can guarantee you'll always be within battery range it seems like the range anxiety concerns are valid. Unless you can afford a Tesla.
That is a critical caveat. If you're looking at a Tesla, then the normal rules don't apply. The Tesla Supercharger network has both more stations and faster charges than the average charger. And Tesla's can use both chargers, whereas the reverse isn't true. I don't imagine much planning would be required on the part of a Tesla owner to make any of the trips I discussed. And while longer than normal stops would be a requirement... the cost of the full tank of gas I'd be saving, even after electricity costs, would pay for a meal while I wait to charge it.
So, the conclusion is this... if you can justify the extra cost, buy a PHEV. Otherwise by a hybrid. If you REALLY have the cash though, buy a Tesla. Don't bother (in Ontario at least) buying any other all electric vehicle unless you're absolutely certain of your range needs. And remember, this is Canada. You won't reach max range on a typical day. Cold winters mixed with hot and humid summers will see you making the most of the climate systems and/or conditions which already seem to rob batteries of their power.
But yeah. I'm loving my new vehicle.
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