What I Learned in 6 Months of Plug-in Hybrid Ownership
Consider how your driving habits and charger availability affect costs and emissions to determine the right vehicle for you.
After twelve years, it was time to upgrade. I had taken up backpacking, gotten back into snow sports, and regularly hauled kayaks. My compact car could no longer keep up with my lifestyle. I went looking for a small SUV with more capacity and off-road capability and ended up with a Rav4 Prime (R4P), a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) variant of the Toyota Rav4.
PHEVs straddle the line between full hybrids and all-electric vehicles (BEVs). They operate the same as other gas-powered hybrids but also have larger batteries that can be plug-charged. This allows a limited all-electric range (usually 10–50 miles, 15–80 km). PHEVs can be manually switched between hybrid (HV) and electric (EV) modes.
I’ve been logging my driving habits for months. This includes measuring all of my charging with a wattmeter ($20 on Amazon) and making notes about the distance and conditions of every trip I take. Here’s what I’ve learned.
