11–20 of 117 posts
In Germany you get tax benefits when buying a plugin hybrid instead of a pure gasoline car ... There's always been the legend that people return their leased PHEVs and the charging cable is still wrapped in plastic in the trunk and has never been used. Maybe there's some truth to this after all.
Personal anecdotes ahaead: I'm German. My grandpa was an electrical engineer. He is very enthusiastic about his PHEV and talks about it alot. He bought one because not only is he interested, but also PHEV sales got heavily subsidized (i think like 6000€ or smth) and so many people bought one in his area as well. Apparently, a surprising amount of old middle class German people bought PHEVs and literally never charge…
"these vehicles are currently not realizing their potential, largely because they are not being charged and driven fully electrically as frequently as assumed" That's crazy to me, gasoline is so much more expensive than electricity, why wouldn't people charge the batteries more often?
>That's crazy to me, gasoline is so much more expensive than electricity, why wouldn't people charge the batteries more often? Of course any sane person would want to charge their car electrically. So I can only imagine that the inability to do so is the problem. My guess would be because many people can't. In most European cities having a dedicated place to charge your car is not affordable to most people. Which is…
"these vehicles are currently not realizing their potential, largely because they are not being charged and driven fully electrically as frequently as assumed" That's crazy to me, gasoline is so much more expensive than electricity, why wouldn't people charge the batteries more often?
A big issues off all forms of chargeable cars is the lack of charging stations. When there are charging stations, the amount of time required to charge dissuades people from charging. Perhaps they look at the 20 minutes to charge a baby PHEV and say, “no.”
However, no one actually used E85, because Volvo engines had recently had issues with some engine gaskets being ruined by ethanol...
"these vehicles are currently not realizing their potential, largely because they are not being charged and driven fully electrically as frequently as assumed" That's crazy to me, gasoline is so much more expensive than electricity, why wouldn't people charge the batteries more often?
Additionally, the charging process in Europe involves carrying your own cables, which adds an extra layer of inconvenience—unlike in some places like China where charging stations provide the cables. - To open the trunk twice daily to get and put the heavy cables could deter regular charging, particularly for those using their PHEV for commuting.
Personal anecdotes ahaead: I'm German. My grandpa was an electrical engineer. He is very enthusiastic about his PHEV and talks about it alot. He bought one because not only is he interested, but also PHEV sales got heavily subsidized (i think like 6000€ or smth) and so many people bought one in his area as well. Apparently, a surprising amount of old middle class German people bought PHEVs and literally never charge…
Not plugging it in does not mean the battery is not used, it just means that the battery is always charged by the gasoline engine in the car, rather than from the electric grid
"these vehicles are currently not realizing their potential, largely because they are not being charged and driven fully electrically as frequently as assumed" That's crazy to me, gasoline is so much more expensive than electricity, why wouldn't people charge the batteries more often?
Personal anecdotes ahaead: I'm German. My grandpa was an electrical engineer. He is very enthusiastic about his PHEV and talks about it alot. He bought one because not only is he interested, but also PHEV sales got heavily subsidized (i think like 6000€ or smth) and so many people bought one in his area as well. Apparently, a surprising amount of old middle class German people bought PHEVs and literally never charge…
Not plugging it in does not mean the battery is not used, it just means that the battery is always charged by the gasoline engine in the car, rather than from the electric grid
They aren't inherently more polluting.