One of the questions that I and many of my colleagues have had about plug-in hybrids is: Do people really take advantage of its batteries and charge up? Sure, it can save lots of fuel, but are people really taking the time to plug in regularly? After all, it’s not like you can’t drive if you don’t, so maybe people just drive them like regular hybrids. Stellantis Senior Vice President and Head of Jeep, Jim Morrison, told us at the Chicago auto show that PHEV buyers definitely plug in.
He said that Jeep, and presumably other Stellantis brands, are able to get charging data from plug-in hybrid owners. And while he didn’t want to give specific numbers on how much and how frequent charging is, he said it was easily the majority of buyers, and hinted that it was nearly all of them.
Morrison also noted that buyers are charging up frequently. He said that customers are really liking the experience of being able to do a lot of driving on full electric power, for the fuel savings and the quiet.
This strikes us as really good news for a few reasons. First and foremost is that plug-in hybrids may really put a big dent in carbon emissions since people are making use of the electric range and subsequently improved fuel economy. Also, it seems like a great way to introduce people to the benefits of fully electric cars, and some of the habits necessary for them, without having to ask too much of the buyer. It’s also great since Jeep likes to tout the Wrangler as the best-selling PHEV on the market, so that’s a lot of people putting big electric chunks in their driving. It seems like a win-win situation all around.
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