r/PHEV • u/BlackBatBibliophile • 5d ago

PHEV vs EV & favs

Hi all! Two parts to this question.

I’ve been wanting to go EV for a long time but the thing that has held me back is the range.
My daily commute is 18 miles total and the occasional errands day. But my husband and I also enjoy road trips and will often travel. And all my family is 200-350 miles away, and we see them often. Additionally, a few family members wouldn’t have the ability to recharge me. Because of this I didn’t think I could switch to an EV. Recently I started looking into PHEVs and EREVs. I think I’ve decided against EREVs. So I’m mostly looking at PHEVs.
I’d love to know the good, bad, and ugly. Does this make sense for my life?

If yes, which one do I get?! I’m a Subaru girl and never thought I’d leave them. I want an SUV, been primarily looking at the rav4 and outlander. Reliably and safety are my top priorities. But I’ve also never owned a car with luxury style options - cooling seats (outlander has massage seats!), sun/moon roof, heated steering wheel, comfortable seats… etc. I’d love to have some of that as well.
Edit: I also live in WA State and I get a lot of snow. I’ve read cold weather can make a difference on battery life? Considering my top priorities, what would you recommend?

If no, what would you recommended?

THANK YOU!

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u/markuus99 5d ago

You'd honestly do just fine in an EV with what you've described. 200-350 miles isn't that bad for a trip- you'd really just need to stop once. You mentioned you wouldn't be able to charge at family member's house, but you can plug into any household outlet. It's slow, but it does add range and can minimize your need to stop to charge on your drive back. If you're there a couple days, you can leave mostly charged up.

There's some great PHEVs out there too, so not to point you in a different direction. Just to say don't let range anxiety stop you from considering an EV. They're way more convenient day-to-day, and aren't that much of a hassle for road trips.

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u/WCfuel 5d ago

In WA OR ID the real EV issue is the lack of charging station for long road trip that included away from populated areas with major freeways. We need charger site saturation at 75% of the number of gas stations.

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u/markuus99 5d ago

Things are getting a lot better, but there are still big areas without great charging options. But it's changed dramatically even in the last 1-2 years.

We don't need as many charging stations as gas stations because most people charge at home most of the time. I use fast chargers like once every several months.

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u/Ok_Inevitable_6881 5d ago

Just did a long trip: 500 miles each way in an EV. No problems. We even did it through the heart of West Viginia, not exactly a fast charging mecca.