Americans Favor One Of The Least Efficient Plug-In Hybrid SUVs Around

I say this because the best-selling PHEV in the US is the Jeep Wrangler 4xe plug-in hybrid (which beats the much more efficient and probably second best-selling PHEV, Toyota, 2:1 more than that). Rav 4 Prime). Jeep will sell more than 43,000 units in 2022. The Wrangler PHEV has a range of only 22 miles (about 22 miles) on a fully charged battery, almost surpassing his average daily distance in the US of about 40 miles (about 40 miles) one way. can’t cover The 20 mpg impression is even less when the Jeep runs on a petrol engine. Still, it was his best-selling PHEV in America last year. Surely the fact that this particular Jeep can plug in in full electric mode and cover a limited number of miles is better than not being able to cover at all, right? The amount of materials and manufacturing involved and its particularly low EV range means how many miles you need to drive in EV mode, so in my opinion the answer is little to no. To “make up” the difference in emissions from manufacturing compared to non-plug-in hybrids could be over 50,000. This is just my guess based on other plugin hybrid stats I’ve read. But maybe I’m just being prejudiced?

To expand on what I’m getting, let’s do a little comparison. Last weekend we visited the beautiful Kitsap Peninsula in Washington State. I owned a Kia Sorento PHEV with 3 generations of his family, one in each row, with only 32 miles of EV range and getting about 34 mpg when driving in hybrid mode (but In my experience it can go over 40 miles). I regularly measure the EV range and my lifetime mpg on gas is actually 36.3, manually tracked in a spreadsheet). The trip was about 300 miles and with all 6 seats occupied and some cargo in the rear, about 800 pounds was on board. We saw the lowest EV range ever, about 29 miles on a charge, but note that on top of full load, it was in a rainstorm and at least half the range was at speeds in excess of 45 miles per hour. please. If I was driving mostly below 45 mph, I’m pretty sure I could have gotten over 32 miles of range, as I did on the middle leg of my road trip. Also, before leaving home he fully charged the battery once, at his brother’s house about 60 miles on the trip, and on the third morning, about 200 miles on the trip, before returning home, fully charging her battery three times. I was able to do. We drove mostly on rural two-lane highways, with no speed limit over 60 mph. I was able to get 3 full charges so I could get a mixed 47 mpg round trip (so the numbers are the electric and gas distances combined).

For comparison, assuming I’m riding the same amount of weight (not too many people to fit in a Jeep) and the same driving conditions and opportunity to fully charge, I’m getting only 31 mpg blended. I estimate I didn’t get the Jeep about 60 miles on battery and use about 9.4 gallons of gas the rest (about 6.2 gallons in my Sorento PHEV). This gives me my point: While some people want vehicles with higher ground clearance or more robust off-road capabilities (provided by vehicles like the Jeep PHEV) , otherwise another AWD SUV to plug in will suffice. The amount of energy (gasoline and electricity) used is greatly reduced. Availability and style preferences are certainly key factors why people have frequently chosen Jeep PHEVs, but the inability to achieve the plug-in’s primary function has discouraged government subsidies to do so. People shouldn’t recommend it. Hybrid (significantly reduced emissions). The real-world efficiency of a Jeep PHEV isn’t significantly better than running a Mil gas powered or non-plugin hybrid SUV, unless you’re only driving within battery range for the majority of your trips. The subsidy should include a clause to exclude “weak” PHEVs (i.e. his PHEVs with less than about 40 miles of range) or his PHEVs not exceeding 30 mpg in petrol only mode.

What do you think? Am I being too critical of this particularly weak Jeep PHEV? Any counterarguments? Please leave your comments and questions below.

Images courtesy of Jeep and Justin Hart.

Justin Hart has owned and driven electric vehicles for over 15 years. This includes the first-generation Nissan Leaf, second-generation Chevrolet Volt, Tesla Model 3, e-bikes, and most recently the Kia Sorento PHEV. He is also an avid his SUP rider, poet, photographer and wine lover. He enjoys long EV and PHEV road trips to beautiful and quiet places with his loved ones.follow justin twitter Daily Kia EV news coverage.