alt Hacker NewsSome of the trends in these comments are wild.
>>EREVs/series hybrids don't get better fuel economy
They sure do if 80% of your driving is done purely on battery, which is how nearly every Volt owner I know operates. Once every couple weeks they'll exceed their EV range, let the gas engine take over, and be done with it. The fuel is sipped so infrequently the car will require a "maintenance mode" to run fluids through the ICE but the car is still perfectly useful for a last minute blitz to St Louis or whatever.
I love the Volt. I personally have an i3 REX and I love it even more because it is absurdly lightweight and RWD.
>>Just get an EV
What about renters who don't have access to level 2 charging? The small battery in an EREV can be easily topped up with a normal extension cord (20 amp rated) run out of a rented house or apartment to the car.
Alternately, what about people who can only afford or have the space for one car? Not everyone wants to own the small city EV + ICE road trip car wombo combo, nor do people want to spin the roulette wheel of charging infrastructure that is still barley adequate, especially in the flyover states.
For most people's regular driving, level 1 charging is often adequate to cover their daily needs. They can just plug it into a wall outlet. (If they have one that can be used for this; many apartment dwellers do not.)
A Chevy Bolt EV gains around 5 miles per hour when charging at 12 amps from a 120v socket; it's similar to an i3 in this way.
If it's home half of the time and it sits plugged in for 12 hours every day, then it it can gain ~60 miles during that time.
60 miles per day is not enough to cover everyone's needs all of the time, but it's more than enough for all kinds of folks who would otherwise be afraid of having some kind of electrical upgrade required before considering an EV.