Are Plug-In Hybrids Worth It in 2026?
Following yesterday’s news that Ford will end production of the F-150 Lightning as we know it and replacing the model (which may or may not be called Lightning) with one featuring a gasoline-fuelled range extender, we got to thinking about different types of powertrains which consume both dead dinosaurs and electricity.
Yes, we know - an extended-range electric vehicle is not technically a plug-in hybrid. There are similarities, of course: both an EREV and PHEV have an internal combustion engine and hybrid guts plus (potentially) a plug with which to top off its batteries from a quick charger whilst parked.
[Images: Ram, Toyota, Ford]
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The difference, at the risk of massive oversimplification, is that in an EREV, the ICE unit doesn’t directly power the wheels. Rather, its sole purpose on this green earth is to generate electricity for the electric motors and batteries. In contrast, a PHEV is motivated by go-juice with the hybrid guts chipping in, some more than others depending on battery size.
Fisker arguably brought all this EREV business to the fore over a decade ago with its Karma. A novel idea at the time, that car showed the technology can work and offer the best of most worlds: right-now electric power delivery without the huge wait times for recharging and none of the so-called range anxiety.
Hilariously, the Top Gear crew, specifically James May, pointed out that the Karma deployed a very similar powertrain concept as the show’s Hammerhead Eagle iThrust (or Geoff 2.0, if you prefer). The man had a point, since that thing eventually had a diesel generator in the back tasked solely with charging up the batteries. Same difference, as the kids used to say.
Plug-in hybrids have detractors who argue PHEV powertrains simply have more points of failure. With both electric and traditional guts on-board, they say, one is carting around way more parts than necessary. And if an owner never plugs in their PHEV and simply drives around on the gasser, there is some merit to that stance. A modern PHEV definitely works best, and provides maximum value in terms of ROI on initial cost, when its battery is full or close to it.
Proponents of the EREV say the proposition is even better since it has the tractive powers of an EV but deletes some of the worries folks may have about that propulsion mode. Certainly, when it comes to trucks like the F-150 mentioned up top, an EREV might be the golden ticket: wells of torque, low center of gravity to help towing stability, no range anxiety, quick fill-ups at the pump. We’ll see who makes it to market first in the half-ton game: Ford or Ram. And if those brands can keep the sticker price within the ballpark of reason.
