The Real Reason Hybrid Car Owners Aren’t Plugging in Their Cars

However, a recent survey has discovered that most PHEV owners haven’t been plugging in their cars and have only been using the gas function. Even though electric charging is more sustainable, it’s clear that people can’t stay away from gas.

Most Americans prefer to drive a hybrid car, with sales growing by 99% in the last year alone. They are much more affordable than EVs, and with many households struggling for money, hybrids enable drivers to do good for the environment without breaking the bank.

Even though PHEV owners may have had all the intentions of doing good for the environment by purchasing one of these cars, not plugging them in means they may as well have bought a gas-powered car instead. 

This means drivers aren’t charging their cars while on the road or when they’re at home, which is likely because they take hours to charge, whereas gas-powered cars can be filled up in a matter of minutes. 

Even though home charging is available, it isn’t that simple. Although those living in cities are more likely to have public electric charging spots at their disposal, living in apartments and homes without garages makes it complicated to charge these vehicles at home, especially if they don’t have access to an exterior outlet.

Due to the difficulty in finding charging spots and the amount of time it takes to charge these vehicles, many drivers don’t have enough hours in the day to go through this. While they will sometimes use its electric features, it’s not always something that they use daily.

Many are concerned about maintenance and the long-term reliability of something like this. As a result, owners prefer to use the gas function over electric, as gas is much more familiar, and they understand it better. 

However, PHEV owners have nothing to worry about. Tesla’s lithium-ion batteries only degrade 12-15% after 200,000 miles of electric-only driving, and most PHEVs tend to have a maximum electric range of 50 miles. Unless these drivers constantly drive long distances when only using the electric function, the battery is unlikely to degrade as quickly as previously believed.

The cars are more expensive because gas-powered ones are more readily available as they have been around for years. Drivers prefer second-hand over brand-new cars, and as hybrid vehicles are a much newer concept than gas, used PHEVs are less likely to be available on the market. 

A PHEV has batteries, an electric motor and charging electronics that all add extra weight to the car. If owners aren’t using these functions, this is another reason why they should have stuck to gas-powered cars, as they aren’t benefitting the environment and aren’t using the vehicle for its entire purpose.

European regulators are looking to reduce the benefits currently held by PHEV owners, such as reduced taxes and other financial incentives. This focus is now being shifted to electric vehicles. This could soon apply to the U.S., meaning PHEV owners should start using the full benefits of their cars before it is too late.

Other suggestions include faster charging, an increase in public chargers and an increase in energy storage capacity. The hope is that doing this will encourage more PHEV owners to use the electric function to benefit both them and the environment.