Author Topic: Plug in Hybrid.  (Read 640 times)

Jocko

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Plug in Hybrid.
« on: July 17, 2021, 07:27:35 PM »
I know there is a lot of talk on here about PHEV vehicles being bought for tax reasons then driven around as ICE vehicles, carrying the weight of an unused battery. But for someone who wants an EV but needs the range of an ICE vehicle on some occasions, a PHEV fits the bill.
My son-in-law was telling me his mate has bought an AMG A-Class saloon. His daily commute is 35 miles which he does in EV mode. He recharges it in his drive every night. He recently drove the NW500 and found that there was a preponderance of pubs and hotels that offered free charging for customers. He has now had the car for 6 months and 10,000 miles and has averaged 186 mpg. Sounds good to me. Not much chance of buying an AMG mind.

springswood

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Re: Plug in Hybrid.
« Reply #1 on: July 18, 2021, 09:33:50 AM »
I'd come to a similar conclusion. That PHEV is a practical way for me (single car household, most trips under 20 miles a day) to greatly reduce the petrol I burn. Even charging at home the saving would be significant. I think it's the best option to reduce emissions too. My Mk1 Jazz is 134 (g/km), at best an ICE car might get that down to about 100. It's difficult to say quite what the emissions in real life would be but my feeling is less than 80, so long as I did actually charge it most of the time (from renewables).

As you imply the initial cost is the obstacle. Looking around the cheapest secondhand PHEV is a Vauxhall Ampera. Though I don't think it's suitable for me it's an interesting car. The product of GM throwing a lot of money at the problem. Basically the technology is the same as the Mk4 Jazz - the wheels are driven by an electric motor which is charged from a petrol engine. With the difference that you can also charge the batteries from a plug. It wasn't a commercial success, mostly because it was so expensive to buy. Seems to me like good value, now that someone else has paid the depreciation.

I suppose the batteries in a Mk4 Jazz are too small to make it worth adding a plug in charger.
"Indecision is a terrible thing"
Or is it? What do you think?

peteo48

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Re: Plug in Hybrid.
« Reply #2 on: July 18, 2021, 10:00:25 AM »
There's a chap down the road from us with a BMW 3 series PHEV. He rarely does more than 20 miles a day so the majority of his running is in EV mode. He is delighted with it although I didn't ask him what his mpg is.

A PHEV would suit me as well as most of my trips are less than 10 miles with a few longer distance ones that make an EV potentially inconvenient.

Can't see any, new or used, even close to my price range though.

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