Has COVID changed my thoughts no PHEVs?

The Plugin Hybrid segment sure is a bit of a controversial area. And many were predicting that EVs and other greener vehicles would be hit hard by the pandemic.

I don't have the relative stats comparing sales of ICE vehicles to ones with electrified drive trains. But, I can comment on my own thoughts.

Personally, I think PHEVs, Hybrids and EVs make as much sense now as they did before. I also think that the basic problems facing each segment remain unchanged even outside of the pandemic.

So, how can I justify a car which cost substantially more when it isn't being driven as much? It is actually easier than you might think. The difference between a PHEV and an ICE vehicle is that the ICE vehicle is built around a few assumptions which either don't exist, or aren't as extreme. Such as the expectation that you will turn it on regularly, drive it a certain period each week and that the gas tank will be emptied.

My PHEV has ICE components. But, the idea behind a PHEV is that you can drive it for extended periods of time (days, weeks, even months) without the gas engine ever kicking in. So, the system is designed explicitly to address those scenarios. I don't need to worry that my engine hasn't been turned on it month.

The gas tank is pressurized to keep the fuel lasting MUCH longer. And, while there are  definitely still some systems which benefit from a good driving every once in a while, the problems are much less pronounced if you skip on it.

My battery for example, would probably be fine for months. This is because the larger battery which drives the car can be used to keep the normal battery charged during longer periods without use. And that battery is fine as well, especially sitting in my garage. I just try to keep the charge rate between 30-80%. Which is pretty easy.

Yeah, the car benefits from being driven as well. It keeps the tires from deforming, gives me a chance to prove that the batteries are still working and so forth. But, that is really about it. And, I don't need a drop of gas to do. Nor do I need to worry about the gas in the tank going bad, or how prolonged sitting might cause the ICE parts to seize.

Basically, at rest, the state of an ICE vehicle will degrade faster than a PHEV or EV. Which in my opinion actually makes an even stronger argument than gas savings. In fact, with some basic thought afforded to the battery and the occasional drive to keep the tires in shape, drastically reducing your usage will increase the life of such a car. But, for an ICE vehicle, it may actually take a greater toll on it to sit around than to be driving it.

As for the broader arguments against PHEVs. I think the biggest is still that despite costing more than Hybrids, many people never charge them. I suspect however, that this isn't a problem with PHEVs as much as a problem with government incentives and PHEV marketing.

How? Well, the simple answer is that the "wrong" people are buying PHEVs. And the reasons are probably a combination of how the cars are positioned and how much money the government will give you.

The first part is simply that while Hybrids and PHEVs aren't far apart in price, in most places there are government subsidies for PHEVs and NOT for Hybrids. And then, after that the PHEV models often have higher base trim lines and may even have access to certain features not available at all on Hybrids. Hybrids after all started out aimed at not just the environmentally conscious, but also at a smaller, cheaper car segment. Likely due to the cost of components in the those early years. Let's face it, the Prius isn't exactly the most popular form factor of car.

So, we have a kind of perfect storm. If you can get car in a more appropriate style, or in a nicer trim for the same, less or even close the same as a hybrid, but it still has that hybrid drive train... why would you buy the hybrid? You wouldn't.

Governments, in my opinion, have failed to acknowledge the financing options available to the average person along with failing to appreciate the availability of alternate drive trains.

Until the price of EVs comes down, I feel like every vehicle with an electrified drive train should be eligible for the same incentive, and anyone trading in a less efficient type of vehicle (ICE -> Hybrid, Hybrid -> PHEV, PHEV -> EV) should be afforded a further incentive.

By offering effectively the same incentive, even to normal hybrids, it could go a ways toward fixing people's buying habits by not artificially nudging people up to a more wasteful drive train for their lifestyle. And, only giving the full incentive to those upgrading from a more polluting vehicle type would actually promote people to get their ICE vehicles off the road. 

So yeah, in general, COVID has done nothing to change my mind. I rest a lot easier knowing it's a PHEV in my garage and not an ICE vehicle. And I still think that generally speaking that PHEVs make sense for those with a place to charge. I certainly understand the frustration that many people buy them and use them as Hybrids, but I feel like that fault for that lies elsewhere.