FYI if this is relevant to anyone here.
as the epa regularly states “ur mileage may vary.” the hana highway was closed so we had to backtrack and experience “the road to hana” twice.
the type of driving needed isn’t the most efficient or typical of normal “eco” driving. u had to be there. regular ev driving style rarely uses the brake pedal, normally relying on regen instead.
GM Defense unveils a a diesel hybrid vehicle for military use:
https://insideevs.com/news/737329/gm-defense-electric-diesel-tactical/
It can drive on electric-only for stealth, but use the diesel engine as a generator (obviously not as stealthy when the diesel engine is turned on). The diesel engine can use the JP8 fuel that is favored for logistics reasons in the US military and is more fuel efficient than a gasoline engine. The battery can provide plenty of electricity to power various electronic sensors and equipment.
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We might, maybe, might be looking for a new vehicle.
We think my husband’s VW Passat needs a new transmission. 110,000 miles and the car also has rust. 2018 so not old. We might just throw in the towel on this one
lots of good ev choices out there. go for a plug-in hybrid if ur not fully sure to deal with range anxiety on a 100%electric.
also, plug-ins use the battery exclusively for the 1st dozens of miles b4 switching to the gas generator which charges the battery.
theoretically, u won’t use gas if ur daily commute is short and then u can charge overnight to a full battery.
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I’m not sure I’d be quite as quick as @onthewestfence to recommend hybrid over EV. Of course it depends on your particular circumstances, but from your post it seems you have a second car, which may quiet most range anxiety. Another factor that quiets range anxiety is being able to charge at home, preferably with a level two charger. Every morning (if need be) you wake up with a charged car, giving you up to the full battery range for the day (depending on your charge settings.). While there are exceptions, most people only rarely drive further than the battery range in a single day.
This leaves the anxiety of charging away from home when you are going on a trip or driving a few hundred of miles or more in a single day. That anxiety is real, especially at first, but significantly lessens once one successfully navigates planning a longer trip. It just isn’t as cumbersome as many fear, especially if it is a once in a while occurrence.
My spouse and I have a hybrid and a EV, and while we didn’t plan it this way, the hybrid is only used around town and for work commute; trips within the small battery range. The EV is used for longer drives, trips, etc and range isn’t much of a worry. It just hasn’t been that cumbersome to charge away from home in the rare instances we need to, and it is great that we rarely if ever have to get gas for the hybrid.
If you can’t charge at home it becomes more complicated, but if that’s the case, then a plug-in hybrid probably doesn’t make much sense either. Quality L2 Home chargers are around $400, and in some places rebates exist for installation.
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EV vs. PHEV vs. other does depend on some factors:
- Will you have 240V home charging?
- Typical and occasional maximum daily mileage on the vehicle.
- Will the vehicle be used for road trips?
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We have a plug in hybrid and it does take up cargo space. My son has the same car in the gas version and he has a lot more space in the back. Our next car will likely be an EV.
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Great thoughts!
Cost is an issue also. Saw a Toyota crown at the local dealer PHEV. $54,000
We are maybe replacing a sedan, remains to be seen how much a new transmission is and if we want to hang on to a car that we like but is already having multiple major problems. Offsetting that is no car payments. I’m having sticker shock from when we bought this sedan in 2019.
It could be our drive around town car, EV is perfect for 90% of our driving. This sedan is very comfortable to take on trips, the trunk is huge. Our other car is a Subaru Outback with 107,000 miles. It’s only issue is no adaptive cruise control, we are spoiled by that and Apple car play in the other.
Lots to think about
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We’re making the switch from one PHEV (Niro with 22 miles on battery only) and one hybrid (RAV4) over to one EV and one PHEV (Sportage with 33 miles on battery only). The way cars drive in EV mode is just so nice. And CO has great incentives on EV/PHEV vehicles this year, in addition to manufacturer rebates, that made the decision easier.
On the EV6 I’ve already put over 1000 miles in 3 weeks. In comparison, in my older PHEV I averaged under 6000 miles a year. That’s how nice the EV6 is to drive. 
(I’m going to have to back off on that usage though because my lease is only for 10,000 miles/yr. which I thought was going to be fine! lol) Part of that is because H prefers to drive the EV6 too. Hence the new PHEV for him that has enough EV range to cover his commute (the older one’s battery wasn’t big enough) and the new PHEV’s transition to hybrid mode is seamless, unlike the older PHEV. The newer safety features on both cars are definitely a plus too, as is having cars under warranty. We weren’t willing to go full EV on two vehicles though because of range concerns on mountain road trips.
Winter will be here soon and it will be interesting to see what happens with range in the cold. We also had a heat pump installed this spring, and we have 15 yr. old solar panels, so this is a big experiment to see what happens with our electricity usage. I don’t expect savings overall. We’ll spend less on gasoline which is pretty cheap right now anyways, but more on insurance premiums and car registrations. Although part of the increase will just be based on having new vehicles rather than it being due solely to them being EV/PHEV.
The next step is figuring out the best way to install a Level 2 charger in our garage, and how best to maximize the available rebates for that. I think the Inflation Reduction Act has made this a golden time to switch over to less fossil fuel use.
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Assuming that you have space in your electrical panel, these are really simple jobs for any experienced, licensed and bonded electrician, even if they have to run conduit up and down thru walls. The only issue is whether your community requires a permit.
fwiw: we didn’t have enough space in our panel , so the electrician added a sub-panel the the one avaialbe space.
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LOL - For some of our road trips, there is minor range anxiety with our gas vehicle. Gosh, it will take us a while to buy our next car. So many more decision than in 2013, and that purchase took 3 years of shopping (we were blessed by an old car that kept runnng well, except for the scare of $3000 repair estimate that got solved by an easier $400 fix).
Agree. That is usually an easy job for a skilled contractor.
Typically, a permit will be required for any electrical work that ends up at the panel. We had to install a sub panel in the garage and move all of the garage circuits to it because that was what the code required for a detached garage (built in late nineties when the code did not require this). Needed a conduit ran out of the main structure basement to the garage through a new hole in the foundation. It sounds daunting, but it took a licensed contractor less than one day. Together with the charger the total was about $3K. I thought it would be way more! 
The city inspector quickly signed off on the inspection.
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another comeback but not available for a coup!e of years
Easier for some than others! DS wants one in his garage, which is detached. Electrician will have to run the 50 or 100 amp line through a small, creepy crawlspace and CA is wanting all sorts if diagrams and specs to permit it. UGH
great point. Detached garages can be a whole lot more work (and $$).
btw: if they need to trench, find a local gardener to dig, which can be much cheaper than paying an electrician to hire one.
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In my area a small trenching machine can be rented at Home Depot, etc.
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Digging is a good exercise. 
Says my husband who’s done enough of it, even in his late sixties. Or there is a ditch witch, as mentioned above.
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It’s tragic, but the article failed to mention that Tesla’s have a manual door release in the case of power failure. (I personally think that they are too small, and likely difficult to find quickly during a crash/emergency, but they do exist.)
btw: “Hybrid vehicles actually come in number one with the most fires per 100K sales. Gas vehicles are second, and electric vehicles place third, with only 25 fires per 100K electric vehicle sales.”
“Using data from several countries, the report reveals electric vehicles (EVs) are less likely to catch fire than gas-powered cars.”
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