Quote:
Originally Posted by calgarygeologist
A mild hybrid is not bad at all. There is some additional maintenance but it shouldn't be that bad. We've had a mild hybrid for three years and I love it. The initial cost is significantly lower than a BEV and I can drive it anywhere. We primarily use it for our everyday commute and we do almost 70% in EV mode with having to charge up. Highway efficient is where it really falls short, of my expectations, but it is still only around 6.5L/100km which is good.
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The comment was a hybrid is the best of both worlds. It's just not really.
A mild hybrid has better fuel efficiency than pure ICE, sure. It has zero of the benefits of electric (instant torque, cheap fuel costs, way cheaper maintenance). You can't claim a mild hybrid is the best of both worlds when it's in only one world.
A plug-in hybrid seems like the best of both worlds because you get a battery powered vehicle but none of the range anxiety. That's why my wife wanted a plug-in hybrid. It's served us well and I like it well enough, but it's not the best of both worlds if you look deeper. First, we had to pay for two drivetrains. The gas engine we have is mediocre and the electric motor is even lower. We do have less maintenance with the gas engine because we rarely use it, but it still needs regular oil changes, etc. We only burn any gas on trips out of town, but moving to Salmon Arm means more trips out of town so we're using some fuel now.
There's still no electric minivan so I didn't suppose I'll be going pure electric soon, but when I can I will for sure