Extended range electric vehicles? Plug in hybrids?

[Globetrotter]

The day has finally come.. dh’s (eta it’s not for my son - just saw the typo ) beloved ‘99 car has failed the smog test and he finally agreed it’s not worth fixing it! We were going to donate it years ago but couldn’t find the title - in the time it took to get a new one, someone convinced him to fix it and keep it.
Apparently, if it had passed this year he would have been exempt from smog checks! Lol Thank goodness.. or he would have kept that thing another ten years. He says it’s bad for the environment to buy a new car - sure I get that, but I want him to have all the modern safety features (really that freaks me out that he drives so much without it) and switch to an EV.
We had installed solar panels for an EV years ago. I am now frantically looking for a replacement as we have to get it by year end - he got a certificate to drive it legally until then.
I was thinking plug-in hybrid as he loves to drive to wilderness areas to explore the outdoors. I know they are phasing those out so now thinking maybe an extended range EV? Has anyone researched this recently? There is so much pressure as he will probably keep this forever lol
He commutes to work daily around 15 miles, which is easy to manage with at home and work place chargers. The trouble is the extended trips to national parks, etc.. or maybe he has to rent or use my minivan for those.

[twowhat?]

We have a Tesla Model Y long range. Extended road trips depend entirely on the charging network, if you are driving to a location beyond the range of the car (there and back). I'm not sure how well national parks are set up for EV charging. But if you have a minivan, then he could totally just use your van for those trips. You will quickly find that you prefer to drive the EV anyway

The Tesla is the only EV I have experience with so my opinions are based on that. We have an older Honda Odyssey and Subaru Forester. I VASTLY prefer driving the Tesla. It has a way better drive feel and you have more control over speed, acceleration, and slowing down. I feel like I'm driving a runaway school bus now whenever I do have to drive the minivan. We've taken the Tesla on a 300mi road trip, stopping once to charge on the way there (300 miles) and back (another 300 miles), as well as parking it at a hotel with EV chargers so it could juice up overnight. It does take some additional planning, but you get used to that and all the benefits more than make up for it. Especially if you already have solar panels installed for an EV!! And the Tesla is one of the safest cars you can drive, both in terms of all the safety features and in terms of getting into an accident. And it could not be easier to order/buy a Tesla, though you may have to wait a few weeks if you want a specific color combo. If you have a showroom nearby, it's fun to go and look and test drive.

If he frequently takes extended trips where EV charging stations are lacking, then it makes sense to me to get an EV for the daily commute and for YOU to drive when he goes on trips, and then he drives the minivan for those long trips. Especially since it doesn't sound like he cares about what he's driving. Though he will also come to prefer driving the EV haha. The instant torque is hard to not like.

I vote for a full EV vs a plug-in hybrid to really maximize the benefits of all-electric. Especially since you already have a minivan which I assume is in good driving condition.

[AnnieW625]

I wouldn’t worry about the extended range if you have another gas vehicle that will handle the trip better. Is there a reason you wouldn’t want him using the mini van for National park and or extended range trips? We don’t have electric vehicles so I really no input on them other than my Dh does like the drive on the Tesla (he has driven his friends) but he honestly says the interior is kind of cheap feeling like a Kia; he says it is nothing special. He also sort of worries about the warranties because our state doesn’t have a warranty/recall program for electric vehicles (this is the division he works in) and maybe that is a good thing because there hasn’t been a major recall yet so it would be uncharted territory if it were to happen.

Yes once a car hits 25 years old in California it is not required to be smogged.


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[sariana]

Wait, who’s phasing out plug-in hybrids?!

[Globetrotter]

Wait, who’s phasing out plug-in hybrids?!

My friends told me this. I looked it up and I think by 2035 the goal is new cars will be all EV. Older cars not included of course!

[Snow mom]

We have a plug in hybrid Prius and like it for DH’s short commute. The battery range isn’t great (somewhere around 25 miles) and we only charge it at home at night. The gas mileage is good though when you run out of battery and I’ve mainly gotten over trying to almost exclusively use it on battery. Honestly, we don’t have solar and have high electric rates and so comparing the cost mi/kWh vs. mi/gal it is pretty even most of the time (although there are other reasons to prefer electric).

The Prius really makes a better commuter car than long trip just because it’s so small. If we are going somewhere for more than a quick weekend we are invariably taking my van. Toyota does also make larger plug in hybrid suv which I think has 40 mile range.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

my two cents as a Tesla/EV owner for over four years - EV's aren't as "scary" or inconvenient as so many people make them out to be. I swear driving an EV these days is probably like what it was having an iPhone in 2009. At first people are confused as heck over it, claim it's way too radical and different, freaked out over lack of keyboard/keys. THen more and more people got them, realized how much efficient/cooler they were and the concept caught on. Now they're everywhere and no one's going back to their Blackberry or flip-phone. it was all about marketing and people finally buying into the idea. I see EV's headed in same direction, just maybe taking a little longer...

The charging issue has never been an issue personally, and i only have 240 miles range (Standard Range plus). i charge at home or for free when i go into work. I've done several multi-hour road trips. I've taken it from dallas area to Broken Bow in OK a couple times, and there are no superchargers anywhere nearby (I remember bc the car kept warning me ). But it was a non-issue bc i just plugged it in once getting to a cabin. i'm not really into camping but from Tesla groups i've been in, i know several access trailer park hookups to get charged.

i agree with PP, why not just let your DS use the minivan for the national park trips? i would not nix an EV just for that reason alone.

[pharmjenn]

I went from a plug-in hybrid (Ford Fusion) to a Tesla last year. I have found that many National Parks do have both Tesla superchargers and other types of chargers. There may be a wait to use one, but you can get enough charge to get you to another charger.
My boyfriend drives a Bolt and hasn't bought gas since the spring. His commute is less than 15 miles RT to work and he charges at home so mostly only uses the electric.

I will say if your son plans to travel in cold climates, an all-electric vehicle will likely get less mileage than listed as the cold sucks at the battery. My neighbor drove to Tahoe last winter in their Tesla and found they were only getting 150-200 miles to a full charge instead of their normal 250-300.

[Globetrotter]

I’m reading - thanks for the great feedback! It’s for my DH (I had accidentally typed DS).
DS will also need a car next year if he works locally, but he will have no choice in the matter if we/my mom are buying it

[dogmom]

I just got a new Chevy Bolt EUV. I was going to by a used hybrid, but with the 11K in state and federal tax credit a new one was the same price. Knowing what I know now I would 100% go full electric. You don’t realize how much maintenance happens with an internal combustion engine. I have to rotate the tires every 7500 miles and just incidental stuff every once in a while. Happy to chat with you about it if you want to PM me.

And yes, you lose range in the cold, but you can plan for that. Part of it is you don’t have the wasted heat from the engine ton het the car some you have to use up energy to do it. All the EV have heated seats and steering wheels standard. You can start the car remotely while plugged in with the heater blasting, no carbon monoxide to worry about, the switch to heated seats/steering wheel while driving after unplugging. I’ve had a few below freezing mornings it worked fine. Would I take it to work in a blizzard? Nope. But that’s why we have an ICE vehicle.