Featured Avoid these plugin hybrids

So, I guess it should be in news. It is off-topic here if Prime is not mentioned.

 

Wow, so trying to talk the other 99% of drivers to stop using fossile fuels and plug-in is black and white, no grey, got it, either buy a tesla or get something that get's 25-35mpg and call it a day, again, 99% take or miss a fraction, and, how many automotive companies have gazillions on the line, call me grey.

 

One wonders why, with billions in assets,, qualified Engineers and designers? why just offer compliance, when you can improve and prosper. Those ranges for the battery packs are sad. Take a Prius apart and then improve every item with special attention to weight. If many cannot make lighter vehicles maybe they should go out of business!

There are firms out there that think $ will pour in no matter what they do. Consumers can and will sink them.

 

How'd that Volvo get in there with all those German cars?

 

What I get from this is: I had never heard of a plug-in hybrid before I learned about the Prime. Most of the people who buy these luxury but weeny plug-ins will realize "Wow, this is a good thing. Why can't they do better?". And they will do better.

 

I hope you are right.

Anybody watch, Before the Flood, ?

 

Aren't they owned by the Chinese now?

 

Yep.
Geely - Wikipedia

 

I looked at the list and only read the 2 that I disagreed with - the i8 and the Cayenne. Author seems to know that he is on thin ground on including these two, and spells out part of the reason they shouldn't be. The prime, definitely doesn't belong on the list, but if it was done years ago the prius phv would have earned a place higher than the 2 I mentioned above.

 

The i3s-REx and i3-REx made their top 6.

 

Were any of the cars on the list actually limited to sales in just California?

The author seems to have forgotten not every one buying car picks the most efficient or one with longest EV range. Power hybrids weren't really popular, but their plug in descendants are better on the road for all of us than the ICE only model that likely would have been purchased in their stead. I don't think the person buying the A3 E-tron would have gotten a Prius if they couldn't have a plug.

 

It's funny that they are "warning" people not to buy the Audi, Mercedes, BMW 3/5/7/x5 plug-in hybrids.

As if it were even possible to buy them.

Go ahead, try it. You can't buy any of them. The only one that even has proof of existing outside California is the A3 e-tron, and the one I saw listed for sale actually wasn't for sale because it was being "worked on."

 

Out of our interested, I was browsing on my his car scheme for a BMW 320d SE. Not bad, came to just under £30,000 but if you put on the Prius-like safety systems it knocked a big hole out of £35k. They consider safety systems as extras secondary to prestige. Yet Euro laws will require all cars mus thave the features as standard when the next Euro NCAP standards are requirements.

 

Wards On Why Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid Won “2018 Wards 10 Best Engines”
33 ev miles.

Chrysler Pacifica seems to get thumbs up.
Went to Cars & Coffee last weekend. Saw this plugin bad boy
900hp McClaren P1



Sure they only made a tad over 300, & they're over $1 million, but it sure looks like it could get top billing for best plug-in.

.

 

I'm sure there are a couple of you guys could go in together and get one, like on a timeshare basis. xN

 

I've got to say, this is the way of reducing gas consumption

Cool looking car, but its an exotic not a great plug-in. I'm not sure if you are being sacrastic, but yes phev is the way to go for sports cars in the future.
Compare Side-by-Side



The new king the Mercedes project one will be delivered soon, and makes that McClaren look sad. Project one is mercedes's answer to the porsche 918, which is a truly ground breaking car. Motor Trend took a 918 and a P1 to the track, and even though the P1 could accelerate faster at high speeds, the 918 beat it to 60 (2.2 seconds versus 2.6 seconds). The 918's electric motors on the front wheels makes a big difference. The 918 can accelerate out of curves and from low speeds faster than the P1. The P1 uses as much gas as a 911 turbo S in charge depletion mode. The 918 is a composed sports car, that can beat all the exotics at the track but maybe not the drag strip. The P1 is a race car exotic that isn't as nice to live with on the streets as the 918.

Project One - Mercedes's super car - goes the porsche 1 better in a lot of ways as does the tesla roadster. Porsche originally wanted to use a motor for each front wheel, but backed away. F1 rules changes and experience have Project One with a motor for each front wheel, one for the rear, and even one on the electric turbo charger that is more powerful than the mg2 on my prius. Porsche talked about using a race engine, but simply couldn't get it street legal, so instead put a very raceable normally aspirated 4.6L V8 in the car. Mercedes decided, screw it, people will pay, so put a detuned version of their F1 winning race engine in the car (McClaren is a Mercedes partner in F1). This is a 1.6L V6 redlining at 11,000 rpm instead of the F1's 15,000 because they need to meet emissions, and not rebuild the engine every 10,000 miles or so. It uses F1 lithium battery cells but uses 4x as many as the F1 is limited by rules. Extremely cool car, and if done right which it appears to be, should outgun the current champ - either the 918 or La Ferarri (only a 2.3 kwh battery).

The tesla roadster though promises 1.9 seconds to 60, which is likely faster and less expensive than the Project One, and lets face it, you can actually put a deposit on one unlike the sold our mercedes. My guess is fit and finish and handling will be better on project one, but ... you got to cheer for that tesla.

On topic of this list, the bmw i8 really IMHO looks as good as any of those cars and is much less expensive. IRL it probably is much better to drive than a P1, although its got a 3 banger that doesn't seem to go with the expensive carbon fiber of those other cars. Battery is growing to 11.7 kwh from current 7.1 kwh, which should increase range (prime is 8.8 kwh). IMHO they need to do another trick, replace the 1.5L 3 cylinder with a 1.6L-2.0L 4 cylinder with a twin scroll turbo charger plus an electric super charger. That will allow them to size the turbo better for efficiency, while increasing low end torque and acceleration where people want it, and give it a better engine note at the same time. I don't think the i8 deserves to be on the list, it really is an amazing car.

The i8's power train without the front electric motor has trickled down onto the 330e and 530e but not very well. PHEV range is really small for the battery packs. These cars deserve to be on the list, but perhaps a front motor, bigger pack, more efficient battery, electric super charger would improve them.
Compare Side-by-Side

 

Toyota seems to be the only one offering it standard, though I have no issue when what others charge only brings the MSRP within range of the equivalent Toyota.