Are EVs dying out? Not so fast. Experts say the future is still electric as car makers pour billions into new models: “After a record year in 2023, EV sales are expected to set another record in 2024.” @NPR @camilareads https://www.npr.org/2024/02/07/1227707306/ev-electric-vehicles-sales-2024
Isn’t the Pasifica Plug in famously plagued by major reliability issues, and still has only a thirty mile electric range before you might as well have gone for the cheaper version. Given no small part of a minivan’s expected use if for medium to long road trips, as well as things like shuttling a bunch of kids around after school between houses where your probably not going to have much chance to charge, I wouldn’t exsacly call it a replacement for a proper EV. Better yet, we could even get more than one possible option of which car to buy, like if two or maybe even three different companies had competing products.
While it will depend on use case, 30 miles isn’t all that much when the average US commute is 41 miles, and that’s not including that if your moving kids around town your likely going between more than just school work school home, and so will will need more range given the three for four trips on a single charge.
Say for example you start at home, you go five miles to school, another ten to work, ten back from work to school, and your out of battery even before any moving kids aroud town to friends or activities can start. Never mind that the Pasifica lacks a heat pump, so if you live in a place that gets cold your going to be spending a decent slice of that battery on heating.
Isn’t the Pasifica Plug in famously plagued by major reliability issues, and still has only a thirty mile electric range before you might as well have gone for the cheaper version. Given no small part of a minivan’s expected use if for medium to long road trips, as well as things like shuttling a bunch of kids around after school between houses where your probably not going to have much chance to charge, I wouldn’t exsacly call it a replacement for a proper EV. Better yet, we could even get more than one possible option of which car to buy, like if two or maybe even three different companies had competing products.
Actual use of minivans I see: moving kids around town. 30 miles does that nicely. Road trips are a small fraction of total mileage.
The people I know who own them have been happy.
While it will depend on use case, 30 miles isn’t all that much when the average US commute is 41 miles, and that’s not including that if your moving kids around town your likely going between more than just school work school home, and so will will need more range given the three for four trips on a single charge.
Say for example you start at home, you go five miles to school, another ten to work, ten back from work to school, and your out of battery even before any moving kids aroud town to friends or activities can start. Never mind that the Pasifica lacks a heat pump, so if you live in a place that gets cold your going to be spending a decent slice of that battery on heating.
People tend to charge at work, at least where I am. So it means all-electric except on road trips.
That’s downright amazing.
Ya, around here being allowed to charge at work is pretty rare. I can’t imagine it being more likely when the vehicle doesn’t need to.
Having the option of being all electric period is a lot more useful.
I don’t doubt that it’s more useful in every case other than road trips. But PEHV is pretty good, and it’s what’s on the market today.