Germans Prefer PHEVs To Non-Plug-In Hybrids, Says New Survey
Originally published on EV Obsession.
A new survey conducted by GKN Driveline has revealed that Germans now prefer PHEVs to conventional hybrids by a substantial margin. 75% of the more than 1,000 motorists queried said that they prefer plug-in hybrids, to be exact.
The online survey also revealed that 61.2% of those surveyed were of the opinion that a 50-kilometer range would meet their daily needs.
Despite all of this, Germans appear to be of the opinion that “practical considerations” with regard to cars are more important than the environment — with 96% saying that while they are “environmentally conscious” to some degree, when it comes to cars, practical considerations are more important.
So don’t expect anyone there to give up their luxury sedan for the sake of the environment apparently. (Not that Americans are going to willingly give up their SUVs of course…)
Other interesting findings of the survey include:
- 81% of those surveyed are wary of hybrids.
- 62.8% cite “poor value for money” as the primary reason why.
- Only 25% described all-wheel drive vehicles as being expensive to buy and use. 73% associated the vehicles with off-road driving capability; 37% with safety; and 36% with improved performance.
- 49% stated that they expected their car dealership to offer plug-in hybrid (PHEV) options.
- 52% agreed that their perfect car would feature plug-in charging and all-wheel drive.
- The factors most likely to convince drivers to consider a PHEV: increased charging station availability (52%); tax incentives (45%); performance improvements (33%); and environmental concerns (32%).
GKN Driveline senior analyst Theo Gassmann commented: “It’s clear that for many drivers, making future vehicles more rewarding to drive is as important as protecting the environment.”
Of course, the point not made here is that people are in fact entirely dependent upon the so-called “environment,” so “protecting” the environment is, when it comes down to it, a necessity for human survival. But doing so would require something that people seem to have in only minute quantities — a genuine interest in the long-term.
Reprinted with permission.
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Strange survey. PHEV vs. non-PHEV. Where are the EVs? But at least the results support pushing on incentives and charger built-out, high time.
Thanks for noticing. A strange article comparing things that don’t really matter.
The Model S is not a sacrifice for luxury owners. Its an upgrade from their, slower, smellier, noisier, vibrating ICE cars. And its winning over drivers in droves.
Yea. ICE owners will have to “give up” all that. LOL.
Strange survey. PHEV vs. non-PHEV. Where are the EVs? But at least the results support pushing on incentives and charger built-out, high time.
“52% agreed that their perfect car would feature plug-in charging and all-wheel drive.”
Like the Mitsubishi Outlander phev, for example… oh wait, it doesn’t carry a german brand. We can’t buy a japanese car, it lacks “Feinschliff” (typical excuse to be found in german car magazines when they can’t find anything else bad to write about a non-german car).
Many hybrids have 4 wheel drive, E.g. VW Golf GTE. It is easy to make with petrol / gasoline engine on front axle and electro motor on rear axle.
Sorry, but it seems to me you don’t know german stubborness enough. If you are convinced (underscore “convinced”) you are building the best engines in the world and the best gearboxes in the world and the best AWD systems in the world, you won’t keep it simple by *replacing* it with electrical motors. You will *add* the electrical motor in the existing cinematic chain, adding weight, complication and missing out the advantage of a “free” AWD. Check better: Golf GTE, BMW 330e etc are all single-axle driven. The only exception I’m aware of is the BMW 2 series PHEV.
Mitsubishi, OTOH, has been really clever in removing anything that could be replaced by motors: no clutch (well, one that clutches in at high speed only), no gearbox, no shaft to the rear differential. Only drawback: top speed is limited to 170 km/h, which is unheard of for german standards. So there you go with german PHEVs with tiny motors, laughable ev range and monstre engines…
I rechecked, you are right the Golf GTE is only driven on front axle.
It’s a joke that the A3 e-tron isn’t AWD.
But hey..the next one will be the 500km E-Tron Quattro…
Vorsprung durch Ankündigung 😉
Sorry, but it seems to me you don’t know german stubborness enough. If you are convinced (underscore “convinced”) you are building the best engines in the world and the best gearboxes in the world and the best AWD systems in the world, you won’t keep it simple by *replacing* it with electrical motors. You will *add* the electrical motor in the existing cinematic chain, adding weight, complication and missing out the advantage of a “free” AWD. Check better: Golf GTE, BMW 330e etc are all single-axle driven. The only exception I’m aware of is the BMW 2 series PHEV.
Mitsubishi, OTOH, has been really clever in removing anything that could be replaced by motors: no clutch (well, one that clutches in at high speed only), no gearbox, no shaft to the rear differential. Only drawback: top speed is limited to 170 km/h, which is unheard of for german standards. So there you go with german PHEVs with tiny motors, laughable ev range and monstre engines…
Many hybrids have 4 wheel drive, E.g. VW Golf GTE. It is easy to make with petrol / gasoline engine on front axle and electro motor on rear axle.
“52% agreed that their perfect car would feature plug-in charging and all-wheel drive.”
Like the Mitsubishi Outlander phev, for example… oh wait, it doesn’t carry a german brand. We can’t buy a japanese car, it lacks “Feinschliff” (typical excuse to be found in german car magazines when they can’t find anything else bad to write about a non-german car).
German car worship, and the stiff resistance to the maximum speed limits universal in the rest of Europe, contrast with the strong public support for the Energiewende in electricity and heating. In transportation, Germany is the laggard.
I’m surprised non-plugin hybrids are still made at all. What is the point?
Fully agree on the “worship”.
Non-P HEV are useful for those who don’t have a place to charge at night. Still better than a VW diesel.
Fully agree on the “worship”.
Non-P HEV are useful for those who don’t have a place to charge at night. Still better than a VW diesel.
German car worship, and the stiff resistance to the maximum speed limits universal in the rest of Europe, contrast with the strong public support for the Energiewende in electricity and heating. In transportation, Germany is the laggard.
I’m surprised non-plugin hybrids are still made at all. What is the point?
Car centric Germans may at least be better than most Americans who worship their dirty polluting SUV’s and big sport pickup trucks. At least the Germans drive smaller cars. If every car was a plug in or electric car, the air in their cities would dramatically improve, and their fuel consumption would dramatically decrease. What’s not to like about that? The USA should do the same thing. The time has come when all vehicles should be plug in hybrids or electric. This will force the price to come down through mass production, and economies of scale, clean up the air in cities around the world, and dramatically decrease consumption of dirty polluting oil. Most car trips are less than 10 miles, so a plug in hybrid getting 20 miles to a charge, would rarely need gas.