The standout one here to me is that Ford is one upping the Clarity using a 1 liter turbo ICE in a big 8 passenger PHEV van. https://cleantechnica.com/2019/04/02/ford-claims-370-mile-range-for-electric-suv-brings-phev-power-to-explorer-cargo-vans/
Pilot PHEV is probably 8-passenger. Just curious what size battery & range it will have. Sent from my SM-N960U using Inside EVs mobile app
Ford was afraid to squeeze the maximum efficiency out of this design--the rear wheel wells are full arches! There are many numbers yet to be revealed before we can decide if Ford has one-upped the Clarity. For one thing, Ford is abandoning all their sedans, so it will never be an apples-to-apples comparison. However, if a giant Ford PHEV van, behemoth PHEV SUV, or large Mustang-ish BEV crossover can under-price, out-range, out-MPG, and out-interior the Clarity, I'll be the first to salute them. I wonder what a 1-liter turbo-engine sounds like dragging a 3-ton (counting 8 passengers) Ford up a mountain?
Once you factor in the usual delays it will be a few years before we see a Ford PHEV. It might not even happen. As much as I like PHEVs I know they are hard and expensive to build and the US buying public doesn’t fully appreciate or understand them. Even people who otherwise know the auto industry often do not understand these vehicles. Car companies do not build these cars because they think they will sell profitability they build them to meet compliance requirements so they can sell other less efficient cars. Just think about how many times your have seen a commercial for a PHEV vehicle on national television.
I have been pleasantly surprised to see TV ads for the Clarity PHEV. I dunno if that was on what you'd call a "national television" channel, but certainly it was on one or more cable channels! And to be fair, GM did pay for (as I recall) two Superbowl ads for the Volt, back when it was new. GM was disappointed at Volt sales, but it wasn't because they refused to advertise the car.
I test drove the Ford Fusion Energie. The trunk was really small after they installed the batt and the brake on that thing was horrible. The regen to actual friction brake was no way as smooth as our babies.
