Are these the lies of EV owners?

This article rather enrages me.

My first issue is this; the article is quite long, but it only covers 2 points:

1. EV Owners claim charging at home is simple
2. EV Owners don't think people regularly take long trips

The second issue I have is that I have no clue what sources they use to draw these conclusion.

Let's eviscerate this article, shall we?

For the first, the argument largely stems from data which shows that PHEV users are REALLY bad at charging regularly. And this IS actually true. At least from the studies I've seen. It fails however to get to the bottom of "why". Rather, it just assumes that people are finding it more convenient to pay for gas.

Let that sink in. They are assuming that all people who act like this are doing so because they FIND IT MORE CONVENIENT TO DRIVE AWAY FROM THEIR HOUSES TO PAY MORE MONEY. The only way it is more convenient is that, when you've forgotten to charge, filling up with gas is faster.

If you read the studies, you will of course discover that this is just utterly incorrect. There are actually a LOT of, admittedly bad, reasons why people buy PHEVs and then don't charge them, but it mostly boils down to the following:

1. It is more convenient to forget, especially when the consequence is low
2. Many people are easily upsold
3. Some models only offer certain feature on higher trim models
4. Incentives

I think that my first point is probably the biggest. If you're coming from an ICE car to a hybrid, you're already burning less gas. And the all electric range on most PHEVs, especially those around when most of these studies were done can be as low as 10-20 miles. So, it isn't a huge loss. The real problem is that there is often not incentive to change your habits.

It is not inconvenient to charge at home if you have the infrastructure to do so. It is hard to change habits when the perceived risk is so low. As a disclaimer... I ACTUALLY own a PHEV (A 2019 Kia Niro to be precise). So I'm coming from a place of knowing what the actual F*** I'm talking about. Unlike the individual who wrote that article. The fact that PHEVs generally don't get any form of L3 charging due to the smaller battery capacities makes things even more acute.

And then, a lot of people buy PHEVs who CAN'T charge at home. But why? Marketing. Firstly, in many places, PHEVs with a large enough range are eligible for the same incentives as BEVs. And, when you combine that with the other 2 points you get a clearer picture.

If you're interested in say, a Kia Niro, you will find that there are more features on the PHEV version than the highest model of the normal hybrid. It is also not much more expensive and is eligible for a larger government rebate. So, if you can't afford the all EV version or have range anxiety, the PHEV version is the pinnacle of luxury. So you buy it even if you don't have anywhere to charge it.

At the end of the day, dealerships want more money. And it is a lot easier to upsell people if they don't have to cover all, or even any of that additional cost.

The second argument is something I have literally NEVER heard anyone say. I've certainly heard people speculate about there not being as much need for long trips as some people would imply. And I do think that is generally true. Let's say that the average, reliable range, or a typical modern gen EV is 300KM (I live in Canada and need to consider winter in that "reliable" word). I probably drive more than 300KM in a day only 3-5 times a year.

I have never lied or oversold that fact to anyone. And no one I know who has an EV or PHEV has either. Every single one of them has taken a long trip or two. And every single one of them has had concerns. And for most of them those concerns remain.

I have talked to people who have NOT owned EVs who hoped it might work out this way and assumed that charging would just be a given. And I suspect they are the real culprits. Or they drive Tesla's. Tesla's charging network is considerably better than everyone else's, to the point where I think that people who access to that network might legitimately be unaware of how bad it is for everyone else.

Outside of that? I don't buy it. I'm sure that you can point to articles by people reviewing electric cars, but don't use them on the daily who think this way. And I'm sure you can find some Tesla owners who think this way. But just average, random EV or PHEV owners? Sorry, but you'll need to back that up with some evidence.

EVs are a lifestyle choice at the moment. They aren't for everyone. And if you talk to average owners of such vehicles and tell them your situation, they WILL give you a fair an honest evaluation of whether or not it fits your lifestyle.

What I really struggle with is this. There is was apparently an average of 1.88 vehicles per household in 2017. That means most households have 2 or more vehicles and the average number of people per household in North America is between 2-3 pretty much everywhere. Odds are good then that most households, if they bought an EV, would still have an ICE vehicle as well. So, even WHEN you do need to drive more than the range on the car allows, it isn't like most households would have to rely on the EV.