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Extra weight, extra drivetrain complexity, and many owners don't actually charge their hybrids so they're getting worse mileage.

Tradeoffs everywhere, so "perfect" is very much not the word I'd apply.

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Well, if you want to be pedantic, sure, nothing is perfect. You can always find fault with anything. Like you say, there are always tradeoffs

It all depends on what you want the car for and how you use it. It will also depend on the very specific car and manufacturer. In my case, even though I love the concept of PHEV, I'd still wouldn't buy a Chrysler, so, to your point, I prefer to get a different brand that is not a PHEV, than get that specific make


Extra weight compared to what? A pure ICE car? The weight savings from only using 30% of the batteries is huge. Also, what's more complex about a PHEV vs a regular hybrid? Do you want to tell me how heavy and unreliable a Prius is?

And who cares about a bunch of people do who don't know how to use their shit? That doesn't mean there's something wrong with the vehicle.


It’s a better tradeoff than maintaining two entirely separate vehicles, which is what I do because no suitable EV for all my needs exists yet.

If you don't charge your PHEV it still works as a HEV, so you get considerably better gas mileage than a pure ICE.

Also, is the drivetrain more complex? If your Hybrid is a Toyota it will have a mechanically simpler drivetrain than an ICE, but their drivetrain is electrically and electronically more complex. I think it is the same with some Honda hybrids.


I do not know about huge American cars but in Europe a small engine weighs less than a big battery.



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