So many discussions around PHEVs and EREVs are missing the point

I am the proud owner of a Volvo S60 T8 PHEV sedan.

Everyone knows it, too. Because when people ask me about it, they can rarely get me to shut up about it. I love my car - and I love the idea of PHEVs and EREVs in particular.

Specifically, I love the idea of these cars FOR CANADA - especially the western-most, eastern-most, and Northern-most (not including the islands). Also similar areas in the northwestern USA.  I think these powertrains have real potential in those places.

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To be clear, I wanted a pure EV, and tried for five years to get one.  I even went so far as to take cheap flights around the country, test-driving promising secondhand models far from home.  But I could never pull the trigger.

Cost was certainly a factor.  At the time, model selection was limited, and those models with acceptable range were expensive (even used).  Add in a home charger, winter tires, maybe winter wheels, the cost was - simply put - outrageously high.  And I don't drive enough to even think about earning the difference back in gas.

Warranty was also a huge  problem. I keep my cars for an average of 10 years, and was not going to risk an expensive battery pack replacement.  I got a legit dealership quote to replace an i-Pace pack of over $50,000 - no thank you! *

(* People will dispute if this was a real quote or not.  I assure you, it was.)

The other was charging. Around town was fine, and even the Calgary-to-Edmonton run was feasible.

 

But I have relatives all over northern and southern Alberta - where chargers are few to nonexistent - and have occasionally run down to the border. I believe in electrification, and I'm not showing up anywhere only to say my fancy new EV is so great, I had to leave it at home.

So, after the 11th look around, I found the S60 T8 - a PHEV I had somehow missed.  For me, it fits the bill perfectly. 

 

And I bet something like it would fit a lot of people.

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To be clear:

•  My car has the pre-2022.5 "small" battery, good for only 35-37 km. Newer PHEVs and EREVs have a meaningfully longer electric range.

 

•  Most of my daily driving in short trips, with weekly runs across the city.

•  I charge it religiously. 

If you buy the PHEV and don't plug it in - well, it's not really a PHEV anymore.  I know there are people who do that, but that is NOT what I'm talking about here.

 

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Here's how the PHEV works out better (for me):

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1.  With an EV, it's home charging or bust.  So forking out for a charger is required.

But chargers are expensive, and install is MORE expensive.  Meaning far more money up-front. 

 

Plus, many electrical panels just can't support the additional 30A-50A required to effectively charge a giant EV battery, making it EVEN MORE expensive.   Of course, mine was one of those.

In contrast,  the hybrid had a small battery, comes with a 15A wall charger *for free*, and runs even if not fully charged.  This makes  a "proper" Level 2 home charger a luxury - not a necessity - meaning it's a cost you can defer. 

In my case:

•  This saved me $2500 in up-front cash costs, which is a huge amount;

 

•  I could wait and save up for the charger and install; and

•  MOST importantly, I could wait for charger technology to evolve.

 

For that last point, things changed from a $500 charger + a $1200 load-balancing controller, to an $800 all-in-one load-monitoring solution.  Saving me over $1000 overall, and well worth the wait.

I did eventually install a 32A charger - both to allow me to do more than 35km electric per day, and for any future EV.  Making the PHEV sort of a gateway car towards getting fully EV-capable, but on your own schedule.

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2.  The car works on long trips, and you can't get stranded.

Again - to be clear - I do almost all my driving in EV mode, and usually don't exceed the 35 km range.  My overall mileage (as reported by the car) is 175 mpg in summer; and 87 mpg in the winter.  So I'm definitely getting a huge benefit from the electric capability.

However, not six months after I bought it, I had to run up north, to places with NO chargers.  

After three tries, the best-case EV plan was to add 3 days to my trip, to charge overnight at L2 hotel chargers. But changing a 2-day trip to 5 days just isn't cricket for most.

In my hybrid, I just drove there for the weekend.  Yes, I used some gas (2x less than my old car, but still).  But I could do it.

Plus, you can't ever get stranded for lack of charging.  You can always get gas.

Having these kind of capabilities are - to my mind - absolutely critical, for one simple reason:  Most people cannot justify buying a car that does not do it all.  

As a second car, OK, sure - the EV is fine, you've always got the gas car as a backup.  But as a primary car?  No way.

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3.  Hybrids and EREVs can tow.

Yes, EVs can tow like bastards - for a short while.  Hybrids and EREVs can tow like bastards indefinitely.

Domestic PHEV trucks would run like mine - all-electric almost most of the time.  They might use gas once a year, for camping or the lake or whatever.  That's a massive improvement.

Work PHEVs - well, they often go to site, sit all day, and go home again, maybe with some tools or materials in the back.  You can often do that on 30-60 km of range, even with a load of tools, materials, and co-workers.  And if you can't, well, you've still got some "free" miles before you need to start using gas.

Farm trucks - I don't know, I'm not a farmer or rancher.  But having 35-50 'free' km per day doesn't hurt anything.

EREVs use gas all the time, so not as good.  But still better than a pure diesel truck.  That's better than nothing.

Yes, if you tour, or are a road warrior, or haul a work, animal or boat trailer 100%, the PHEV and EREV won't help much, just some.  But most people don't use their trucks that way.

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4.  The car still works fine in cold weather.

 

By "cold", I mean +35°C (-31°F).  That's what it was this last winter.

 

Yes, EVs can still perform brilliantly in the cold, but you do lose quite a bit of range.  I get unlimited heat and range no matter how cold it is.

I do think Volvo chickened out and programmed the car to default to gas at a much higher temperature than is really necessary (around -10°C, I think).  But that's just a preference.

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5.  If the EV system breaks, the car still works.

In an EV, or a regular car, you have no backup. The PHEV is its own backup. 

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6.  The PHEV was much less expensive than the comparable EV.

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7.  I got much better warranty and service terms:

•  The car came with a good, long, free warranty, saving me from having to buy a (very) costly third-party one.

•  It is serviced at a conventional local dealer, not some brand with barely any service presence.

•  They have proper parts supply chains, meaning parts have reasonable lead times - no multi-month waits.

Plus the battery is much smaller, so any future replacement cost will also be much smaller.  Obviously not great, but on par with an engine replacement.  That seems reasonable.

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7.  I still have a gas car for when I want to drive a gas car.

I like having a performance car, but carbon guilt ruins it.  I stressed about driving my old one because all I could think of was all the carbon it made.

With the PHEV, I drive an EV to save the planet - but can swap it for a 400HP fire-breathing AWD monster at the push of a button for that 1% of the time I want to have a bit of fun.  That's the best of both worlds.

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8.  For every EV battery, you can make 5 (or more) PHEV batteries.

That means that instead of 1 car using zero gas, you could have 5 cars using 90% less gas.  That's a win.  

It gets better when you consider that without those PHEVs, those 5 cars would still be all-gasoline.  A 90% savings is a lot better than zero.

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From this, PHEVs and EREVs can do it all: range, performance, towing, service, brand, warranty, price and carbon savings.

Put simply, having a PHEV - and using it effectively - typically delivers 50% to 90% of EV benefits, with 0% of the drawbacks.  That is a great tradeoff for people - and the planet - where an EV does not suit.

So I wish that everyone - including the EV sites  - would just stop running FUD articles about how PHEVs are not the solution.  PHEVs and EREVs have their place in all this, and every PHEV sold is one step closer to saving this planet.  

So if you know someone who won't buy an EV, suggest a PHEV / EREV.  It's a step in the right direction - and, God knows, we need all the help we can get.