EVs have progressed. It’s time to ditch the training wheels.
Sir Alec Issigonis, famed designer of the original Mini once said, “A camel is a racehorse designed by committee.” I just spent a week driving around Los Angeles in a, and let me tell you, Sir Alec’s brilliant turn of phrase was living rent free in my head the entire time. See, the Prime variant of the Prius is a plug-in hybrid vehicle, also known as a PHEV. On paper, that sort of vehicle makes all sorts of sense.
Before I go any further, I need to doff my hat to my friend, mentor, and Pulitzer Prize–winning auto scribe Dan Neil. He very rightly pointed out that.” While corporate greenwashing is not the focus of this screed, Neil’s absolutely right in that PHEVs certainly are a convenient way for legacy automakers to lower their CAFE averages without doing the heavy lifting required to go fully electric.
Back to the Prius Prime. Yes, when it was charged and I drove it around as an EV, it’s pretty dang good. After all, this model was part of the decision-making that led to. A charged Prius Prime is smooth and silent and torquey; it does indeed offer most of the inherent good benefits of EV driving. Until the battery runs dry. Then the weak, coarse 2.0-liter Atkinson-cycle inline-four fires up and routes its power through a continuously variable transmission. Not exactly my idea of a good time.
Let’s not forget you now have two propulsion systems to worry about. One of the great benefits of EVs is they lack most of the maintenance costs of ICE vehicles. There’s no oil to be changed, no tune-ups, no multigear transmissions or head gaskets to fret about. With a PHEV, you get added tire wear to go along with all that. I’m aware pro-PHEV individuals will argue the local infrastructure where they live doesn’t support owning a fully electric vehicle.
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