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Seems like PHEV can mean it only goes 15-30mi on a charge. Realistically how many people are actually plugging those in?


They vary widely. Some have 1 mile (and the plug is therefore fairly pointless and usually just to qualify for some subsidy), whilst others do 200 miles and are effectively full EV's with a petrol generator to travel further.


Yeah 1-5mi EV seems like pure scam marketing that should be illegal


It still allows regen braking down a hill or at traffic lights in town, so you get a decent efficiency gain. It also gives you a bit more horsepower when overtaking (depending on design). Or an hour of running the AC without belching smoke.

Considering the battery and motors for these tiny EV's is only 100 lbs or so, it is probably still worth having.


Yeah I'm not saying it's useless, it just shouldn't be marketed as an EV when you basically need to burn gas to drive it.


I would. Why wouldn't I? I park my car in an attached garage. If I had an EV or PHEV, I'd walk right past the charger on my way to the door into the house. I don't like standing around at the gas station waiting on the tank to fill. Seems like a no-brainer to me.

I actually wanted a PHEV, since my car is mostly used for local driving but I also drive hundreds of miles for work trips. Unfortunately I couldn't find one I liked.


If you don't have an attached garage


The American suburbs are full of houses with attached garages, so I'm hardly alone in this.


Most journeys are well under 30 miles.

https://www.nimblefins.co.uk/best-car-insurance/average-car-...

> The average car journey distance in the UK is approximately 8.2 miles


The question isn't how long the journey is, it's how long until you're somewhere with a charger where you can wait a long time, but not too long. Short-range EVs make the most sense for people with single-family homes. Charging at work or apartments helps, but then there's the "too long" caveat.


Mine does about 40 miles during summer and 23 miles during winter. Given that my trips are within 25-35 miles range, I charge it daily. It’s at 9.5k miles and I filled up the tank about 7-8 times in 2 years. Rest was all electric.


Charging at home or elsewhere though? Cause lots of people can't charge at home or at work.


I charge at home overnight.


lot of comments speculating but we have the data.

> Realistically how many people are actually plugging those in?

Answer: almost no one. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/16/plug-in-...




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