J.D. Power Studies Why People Aren’t Buying Plug-In Hybrids
Despite plug-in hybrid (PHEV) models seeming like they’d be a good compromise between all-electric and combustion vehicles, the latest E-Vision Intelligence Report from JD Power has shown them trailing both in terms of sales volume. While traditional combustion vehicles remain the dominant option for American consumers, battery electric and standard hybrids both eclipse annual PHEV deliveries.
JD Power reported that plug-in hybrid sales are presently stuck below 2 percent of the total new vehicle market. By contrast, standard hybrids lacking a charging port were said to be 10.7 percent with battery only models representing 9.4 percent. While the latter figure seems a little high — Edmunds had EVs holding a 6.8-percent share of the market earlier this year — we’ve yet to see any statistical analysis putting plug-in hybrids above 1.9 percent.
Value seems to be the biggest factor, with PHEVs trending higher MSRPs and maintenance costs than either standard hybrid or battery electric vehicles.
JD Power cited the average customer-facing transaction price for a (compact crossover) PHEV at $48,700. Meanwhile, the typical hybrid model from the same segment averaged around $37,700 whereas a fully electric vehicle was likely to trade closer to $36,900. Despite EVs typically seeing higher factory pricing against hybrids, dealers have surplus inventories that are presently encouraging discounts.
Consumer satisfaction for plug-in hybrids was likewise said to be lacking vs all-electric vehicles. However, the difference between them was relatively modest and all vehicle types have seen declining consumer satisfaction in recent years due largely to the standardization of touchscreen-based infotainment systems and an assumed lapses in quality control. Drivers are similarly perturbed with the amount of data acquisition (see: privacy issues) taking place within modern automobiles.
Reliability is likewise presumed to be lower among plug-in hybrids due to added complexity. They technically need to have all the necessary components to allow them to operate as a traditional hybrid and battery electric vehicle. The above doesn’t necessarily mean every PHEV will be less reliable. But there is certainly more on them to go wrong, should something need to be serviced. They also carry around the heft of a battery (albeit a small one) and this means they tend to burn a little more fuel than other hybrid vehicles.
From JD Power:
By now, it is no secret that the big obstacle keeping shoppers from broad adoption of EVs is range anxiety. Consistently, across every study J.D. Power has conducted to evaluate customer experience with EVs, five of the top 10 reasons people give for rejecting an EV are focused on things like lack of charging station availability, limited driving range, time required to charge, and other charging- and infrastructure-related concerns.
The auto industry’s solution has been something of a compromise. In the past year, virtually every major automaker has made a pivot to PHEVs as a bridge between gasoline-powered vehicles and fully electric vehicles. On paper, it makes a ton of sense. In reality, it’s creating some new challenges.
The real benefit of owning a PHEV is having the ability to lean on the battery for shorter journeys. But this typically ends up being 40 miles or less. That’s certainly sufficient for individuals who do the brunt of their driving in town and the vehicles typically offer solid fuel economy when relying on internal combustion. However, the average American commute is over 26 miles one way — meaning every PHEV that’s presently on sale would exhaust its battery range before its owner made it home for dinner.
That’s not really a problem in itself. But it may leave some drivers deciding that they’re better off buying a fully electric automobile or a hybrid without a charging port when they’re both likely to cost a little less than the PHEV.
Automakers presumably aren’t too thrilled about the above, as they’ve been prioritizing the development of plug-in hybrids as a stepping stone to pure electrics. At present, there are forty one PHEV models available on the market — two more than there are standard hybrid models — and sixty BEVs.
[Images: Toyota; JD Power]
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Consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulations. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, he has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed about the automotive sector by national broadcasts, participated in a few amateur rallying events, and driven more rental cars than anyone ever should. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and learned to drive by twelve. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer and motorcycles.
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Just like for BEVs, biggest obstacle is price.
Let's remember that it took about 2 decades for HEVs to achieve any real market demand, once prices came down where buyers would be able to recoup the extra cost within 2-3 years.
The modern vehicle market is confused, and that translates to consumers/customers also being confused as to which type of vehicle they want for current and future needs.
We were moving into an all EV future market, until more politics got involved with the petroleum pusher companies constantly filling media and information space proclaiming the death of EVs, and how evil and dangerous EV batteries are, as if gasoline is not MORE explosive and dangerous, along with be factually more costly and polluting than the sourcing and manufacturing of EV batteries.
The petroleum pushers companies fill media with half truths and full lies, by not giving an equivalent comparison and full picture of what it takes to get to and extract petroleum, and then ship it to where it needs to get to, then to refine it, and then to transport the finished fuel while also needing to dispose of all of the nasty waste by product that cannot be used for any commercial needs.
People think gasoline comes from the under the ground as completed, ready to use, gasoline, and all it takes if for some machine to draw the gas out of the ground, put it in those trucks with the roundish tanks, that bring it to your favorite gas station, and the you pump it into your car. Hey, all neat and clean, compared to that nasty and dangerous EV, that requires heavy extraction of rare Earth elements, that causes so much use of energy that makes getting the rare materials to build batteries even more expensive than to just get that good ole clean gasoline out of the ground and into your car.
No, that ain't how it works. As oil is becoming harder and harder to extract, because we've used up all of that easier to get at oil over the past century, the amount of effort and energy required to extract oil that is deeper and in locations, like way out in the oceans that require enormous platforms to be built and then extremely long runs of pipes to first get into and under that water to then drill into the sea floor to finally get at some oil reserves. Then, that oil has to be put into massive ocean going ships to move that crude oil to refineries that are located on land.
And, there is fracking, which is a whole other level of massive energy usage because it requires a LOT of water that needs to be pressurized so it can be driven by pipes way deep underground to force oil out of where it is located. That force out oil contains a lot of water and a lot of dirt, sand, and rocks. All of that very, very crude oil has to then be extracted to remove all of the water, dirt, sand, rocks, etc.
Then, that oil has to be transported to the refineries where more processing needs to be done, which requires even more energy.
That deep sea extraction has major risks, and comes with constant oil spillage into the ocean water where it is not cleaned, and it affects the natural balance of the oceans and all of the animals that live there. Yes, living life such as fish, that we humans need as some of the sea creatures are vital to our global food supply.
That oil extraction is not cheap, and worse, it is not clean, and it negatively affects a foundational base for our local, regional, and global food needs.
NO, that neat little gasoline station experience is the final product that consumers see and use, and to them it looks like, "Hey, it's just clean gasoline. That's not so destructive." Lads and ladies, there is a whole lot of dirty and a whole lot of effort and use of energy just to get the oil that is needed to make that gasoline that you have no clue about.
Yes, making EV batteries is also dirty and requires energy as well.
The difference is that the energy that is needed to get the ingredients to make batteries, and then to make energy, is all about using renewable, and clean energy, that does not require the burning of carbon rich petroleum. Electricity can be created in multiple ways, and what way is best is dependent on the area and what energy creation resource there is. Along the shores there is wind driven electricity creating, as well as wave action electricity creation. Those sources do not burn anything, and thus there is no pollution.
NO, birds are not killed by windmills, because birds are smarter than pro petroleum pushing politicians, as birds have eyes and easily see what is in front of them, and they can easily see an obstacle and change course, no problem. We human have eyes and can control our paths too. If we want to cross a street and we see a vehicle coming, we easily control our motion to avoid the obstacle. So many petroleum pushier politicians think we are all really stupid, that we would believe that windmills are killing millions of birds, because birds only fly in one path and cant' change direction.
There's more truth and fact about the reality of creating energy in the form of electricity for our future. Stop listening to those petroleum pushers who want to brainwash you and have you believe that the only way forward for human future is to stick ONLY with petroleum energy sources. They really believe that all of us are really that stupid to believe only what they tell us, as they are the ones who profit greatest if we believe that BS they tell us.