RAM cancels REV long range model

[Zprime29]

With a hybrid you have the complexity and weight of two propulsion systems.

The Ramcharger, like the Chevy Volt and BMW i3, only has 1 drive train which eliminates at least part of the draw back. The engine still needs to be maintained, but there are far fewer components vs traditional parallel systems. If there where a 3 row SUV version of this, it would already be in my driveway instead of the XC90 (which went into turtle mode on us with fewer than 2k miles on it).

Sponsored

 

[Altivec]

I read a book in the late 90s where the author argued that hybrids are the worst option from an engineering standpoint. I forget the name and the author, but it was interesting since a lot of this was theoretical at that time. With a hybrid you have the complexity and weight of two propulsion systems. As you mention, a small battery pack will get thrashed, and a small gas engine will also get thrashed when that battery runs low. However vehicle sales aren't based purely on engineering... there's economics, psychology, and sociology to throw into the mix and so we have seen far more hybrids sold than pure EVs.

You are exactly right. My purchase was based on several factors. The sociology standpoint is, because I can afford to, I wanted to try my best to cut my carbon foot print down. No different than me getting solar panels. Not expecting others to do the same, its just something I wanted to do because I can.

When I bought my hybrid, basically 10 years ago, EV infrastructure was no where near what it is today. So the myths about EV's and range anxiety were really high at that time. I also didn't know how I actually used my car (ie. range that I use in a day) because I always had gas vehicles where you don't think about that, you just buy another one because its the same. The psychology factor in that was fear of making an expensive purchase that could turn out to be a mistake. The safer bet was the promises of the no brainer hybrid "the best of both worlds".

Living with one for ten years has taught me a lot. I am not going to say it's all bad, but as I explained in the previous posts and you summarized, there are a lot of negatives that people are just not aware of or understand. Like EV and ICE, hybrids have a very specific use case where they may end up being the best choice. In my opinion, a Hybrid has the smallest use case where they are the best choice.

The biggest factor being psychology and hyped marketing. I completely understand why people are drawn to it as a solution. I don't think absolutely anyone would have convinced me at that time, that an EV would have been a better choice for me, but they would have been right. The gains of saving a few tanks of gas here and there are completely negated by the inconveniences, ramifications, and costs of maintaining two systems. If you can make an EV work for your use case, it's the best choice. If you do a lot of long distance driving, you are better off with ICE. The only use case I can see a hybrid may be best at is if you have a consistent schedule of driving 6 days of the week using battery and 1 day a week where the engine is used, but never exceed the range where the battery is depleted and you are running on gas alone. Even with this use case, expect the life span of your battery to be short and your engine to be stressed.