Stellantis Reveals multi energy truck platform!

[Monkey]

the ultimate issue I see with 'hybrids', no matter what type you are referring to, is the impracticality of now carrying around not only what is already a heavy EV battery, and multiple motor sets, but now add to that a GAS TANK, muffler, ENGINE, transmission(if so), and now also all the 'legacy' maintenance and requirements that go with that... such as also now having stop at gas stations. Even if the engine is 'only' for charging the battery pack, which would take forever on its own, anyway, you still have the same issues.

Yes, hybrids are not the marvels of efficiency they are portrayed to be. It’s the melding of two powertrains into one big compromise. Hybrids will disappear from this world as battery capacities increase and prices continue to decline. At this time, our battery capacity/price ratio still provide room for hybrids to exist and even seem attractive to many buyers.

My brother-in-law does the same: he has modified his diesel with another 70 gallon auxiliary tank in the bed, so he 'never' has to stop... he'll never be an EV owner, no matter what Stellantis or anyone else does.

I was like this. Even with my last F350, it was diesel and had 37 gallon onboard tank with an additional 30 gallons in the base of a combo toolbox/fuel tank unit in the bed. I could drive from my place west of Denver to Albuquerque, drive around town for a couple days, then drive all the way back home and still not have to worry about fueling up for another day or three. Or I could drive from my place to my parents’ place in Phoenix with fuel to spare. But going to the pump and filling the truck, then filling up the auxiliary tank is a shitty process. It takes time, it’s expensive, it’s inconvenient. Not to mention, I still have to stop and stretch my legs, grab some lunch, the dogs inevitably have to pee as well, along with the wife. So, there is no glory in being able to drive 1000 miles on a single tank of fuel. It was nice when pulling heavy trailers though….

Versus the regular fuel pump visits, I’ll pick the EV every day of the week over that. Because that EV is charged up and ready to go for me every morning and I haven’t had to stop at a gas station for anything. Only have to deal with stopping to charge outside of home when on a road trip. And the couple extra charge stops and bit more time it takes on that trip is worth the everyday convenience the rest of the time.

People who can’t charge at home…. I don’t know how you’ll ever convince them an EV is better. Most DCFC out there is just as expensive or more vs. filling up with gas and it takes a bit longer and you don’t go as far. Sure, I still think an EV would be better with its lower maintenance and superior performance, but it’s difficult for people to quantify those things. And lower maintenance rings hollow when it’s still a fact of life that many EVs still end up needing service of some sort.

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[chl]

Yes, hybrids are not the marvels of efficiency they are portrayed to be. It’s the melding of two powertrains into one big compromise. Hybrids will disappear from this world as battery capacities increase and prices continue to decline. At this time, our battery capacity/price ratio still provide room for hybrids to exist and even seem attractive to many buyers.

Toyota made a pretty good hybrid with the Prius at the time, sips (but still burns) gasoline.
Beat pretty much any regular ICE vehicle in MPG at the time - we regularly got over 50MPG.

 

[Monkey]

Toyota made a pretty good hybrid with the Prius at the time, sips (but still burns) gasoline.
Beat pretty much any regular ICE vehicle in MPG at the time - we regularly got over 50MPG.

Of course. And this is where hybrids do currently still make a lot of sense for people, if they can live within the “compromise”. For the Prius or other cars like it, the compromise is mostly performance. Something most target buyers of the Prius care little about.

The Prius is still one of the most efficient and specifically one of the most economical cars currently on the market.

 

[Altivec]

I've owned a plug in hybrid for almost 10 years and would never buy one again. We use it primarily as an EV but then are forced to deal with all the ICE issues as others have mentioned. Gas gets stale pretty quick so you are forced to consume it. You also need to do oil changes, rad flushes, dried out belt changes, etc on an engine that's barely run...Then on the EV side, the battery tends to generally be smaller so you go through its life of charging cycles way faster. Add in the complexities of integrating both systems, you have double the potential of things going wrong and nobody but a select few able to determine the issues. You are also hauling around the weight of an engine and fuel that you use 1% of the time. It just ends up being a headache for the odd chance you need some extra range. If you drive a lot of long distances, you are way better off sticking to ICE. At the time I bought it, I wanted an EV but had range anxiety so I went with a plug in hybrid. I learned my lesson the hard way, it's not the way to go.

 

[Henry Ford]

We still do all that now. Instead of the diesel, we assemble a hybrid. At one every 52 seconds.

But Lightning isn't on the same line. Why is that? That's not a rhetorical question, I'd genuinely like to know.

 

[Pioneer74]

But Lightning isn't on the same line. Why is that? That's not a rhetorical question, I'd genuinely like to know.

Because they didn't want to decrease the amount of ICE trucks they could build. The REVC, originally designed with the 50k annual production number, could have been ran in addition to the ICE plant by running Body and Paint overtime and keeping the ASRS building full.

 

[chl]

Of course. And this is where hybrids do currently still make a lot of sense for people, if they can live within the “compromise”. For the Prius or other cars like it, the compromise is mostly performance. Something most target buyers of the Prius care little about.

The Prius is still one of the most efficient and specifically one of the most economical cars currently on the market.

Yes.

When the EV charging options and/or battery capacities get better, no need for hybrids anymore.

Locally I use an EV (Lightning or 2012 Leaf) exclusively, except to drive my wife around in her Prius with it's handicapped placard so she doesn't have to walk long distances.

Lightning I am paying about 2 cents per mile.

In the Prius about 6 cents per mile (if you ignore the cost of oil changes, filters etc., as well as the cost attributable to air pollution, oil company lobbying, etc.)

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