America’s automakers have staked their futures on the notion that electric vehicles will dominate sales in the coming years, spurred by buyers determined to reduce carbon emissions and save on fuel.
But so far, while EV sales are growing, their pace is falling well short of the industry’s ambitious timetable for transitioning away from combustion engines. Instead, buyers are increasingly embracing a quarter-century-old technology whose popularity has been surging: The gas-electric hybrid, which alternates from gas to battery power to maximize efficiency.
So far in 2023, Americans have bought a record 1 million-plus hybrids — up 76% from the same period last year, according to Edmunds.com. As recently as last year, purchases had fallen below 2021’s total. This year’s figures don’t even include sales of 148,000 plug-in hybrids, which drive a short distance on battery power before a gas-electric system kicks in.
We’ve driven that route for 5 years now, and I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a charging station. I’m sure there is one, somewhere, but that’s not something I want to try and yolo my way through.
I’m a big fan of the Ioniq5, and if Hyundai weren’t having so many issues with their business lately, that’d be my first choice. We’re keeping our current vehicle when it’s time for a new one, so we can use that for trips. What I need more than anything is something dependable and reasonable (features and price) for my wife to take to work every day.
Personally, I think a PHEV is a better option for that because she can use gas if absolutely necessary, and if everything goes as planned, she can use the electric for all of her daily driving. The reliability of predicability is what I’m hauling a gasoline engine around for. If I’m spending $40-50k on a vehicle, I want to know that it’s going to last for 8-10 years, that the company isn’t going to randomly brick a feature because they feel like it today, and that the company I’m giving money to has engineered the best product they can.