Ford's Model e division is now losing over $100,000 per EV sold. As a result, the carmaker is looking to scale back EV production, according to industry insiders who claim Ford has cut back on battery orders significantly.
PHEVs are kind of pointless because most consumers buying them tend to not actually flip to the electric mode during low-use periods, making the hybridized nature of the vehicle functionally useless.
Maybe I’m not like most consumers but my ford phev is on electric 80-90% of the miles I’ve driven on it.
Then again, I heard from a family member. With a 4xe that the dealer had to convince them to plug it in when the low battery for long periods of time was causing problems.
It’s a lack of awareness and training. People buying PHEV’s have the right mindset, they want to be more efficient and helpful to the planet, but at the same time nobody is teaching them how to use the car effectively.
Even if used “properly”, plug-in hybrids are a bad idea:
They are more complex than either a pure ICE or electric vehicle would be.
When used properly, the ICE plug-in will only activate during high load phases, e.g. highway travel.
However, the engine at that point will be effectively cold-starting. Not only is thus the least efficient phase of generating energy from fuel, it also means the engine oil is not warm and fluid yet. This necessitates more expensive, less durable low viscosity engine oil. Also, engines deteriorate much quicker during irregular usage, especially during cold starts.
There’s really no upside except getting government subsidies whenever the lobbies manage to get their Plugin-Hybrid qualified for it.
Absolutely true, but that still does not make phev the universal solution to climate friendly transportation :) .
It’s more of an awkward stop gap measure. It’s expensive and complex to make and maintain (!) and only really profitable for manufacturers due to subsidies as well.
It also has no bearing on what I was talking about. Start/stop automatic triggers when the vehicle is stopped, but only if the engine is warm already. This is exactly for the same reason as I pointed out above: starting a cold engine is bad. Starting an engine that is already close to its operating temperature takes very little effort and puts very little strain on the system.
That makes no sense. The electric motors are an entirely different, separate system from the ICE. As such, using the e-drive will not heat up or spin the pistons in the ICE at all.
The ICE is only connected to a generator to charge the battery while driving, thus providing extra charge for more range and/or peak torque/speed.
PHEVs are also more expensive to manufacturer than a BEV, long term. Particularly once the huge new battery factories start hitting economies of scale.
PHEVs are kind of pointless because most consumers buying them tend to not actually flip to the electric mode during low-use periods, making the hybridized nature of the vehicle functionally useless.
Maybe I’m not like most consumers but my ford phev is on electric 80-90% of the miles I’ve driven on it.
Then again, I heard from a family member. With a 4xe that the dealer had to convince them to plug it in when the low battery for long periods of time was causing problems.
Why the hell not? I drive a LOT, about 100 miles a day on average. I fill up my volt with gas once every 3 or 4 months. I save SO MUCH MONEY.
People not using the plug in part are just stupid (or don’t have access to chargers, in which case why get a PHEV?)
It’s a lack of awareness and training. People buying PHEV’s have the right mindset, they want to be more efficient and helpful to the planet, but at the same time nobody is teaching them how to use the car effectively.
It’s not rocket science. Plug the car in whenever possible. Done.
Even if used “properly”, plug-in hybrids are a bad idea:
They are more complex than either a pure ICE or electric vehicle would be.
When used properly, the ICE plug-in will only activate during high load phases, e.g. highway travel. However, the engine at that point will be effectively cold-starting. Not only is thus the least efficient phase of generating energy from fuel, it also means the engine oil is not warm and fluid yet. This necessitates more expensive, less durable low viscosity engine oil. Also, engines deteriorate much quicker during irregular usage, especially during cold starts.
There’s really no upside except getting government subsidies whenever the lobbies manage to get their Plugin-Hybrid qualified for it.
If you have a PHEV with a range of 40 miles on battery alone, you will hardly ever use the gas engine at all.
Absolutely true, but that still does not make phev the universal solution to climate friendly transportation :) .
It’s more of an awkward stop gap measure. It’s expensive and complex to make and maintain (!) and only really profitable for manufacturers due to subsidies as well.
I’m just disagreeing with the “difficult to maintain because reasons” bit. You could easily go 300,000 miles on a PHEV with regular maintenance.
Huh? Auto stopstart is very common.
Also starting from stopped is the worst for efficiency, as ICE cars produce optimally / most efficiently at a particular rpm
Edit Common use patterns are to supplement start stop with the electric motor, to get the Gas motor closer to it’s ideal rpm before it does work.
I wasn’t talking about auto stop/start at all?
It also has no bearing on what I was talking about. Start/stop automatic triggers when the vehicle is stopped, but only if the engine is warm already. This is exactly for the same reason as I pointed out above: starting a cold engine is bad. Starting an engine that is already close to its operating temperature takes very little effort and puts very little strain on the system.
As I said, cold start from ev, use ice when near rpm ideals
That makes no sense. The electric motors are an entirely different, separate system from the ICE. As such, using the e-drive will not heat up or spin the pistons in the ICE at all.
The ICE is only connected to a generator to charge the battery while driving, thus providing extra charge for more range and/or peak torque/speed.
PHEVs are also more expensive to manufacturer than a BEV, long term. Particularly once the huge new battery factories start hitting economies of scale.