In theory, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles offer an alluring alternative to fully electric ones. They give drivers 20 to 65 miles of electric-only range for their daily use, plus a gasoline engine in reserve for longer trips or when they can’t recharge. The benefits of PHEVs come when drivers plug them in regularly—often overnight—to recharge their battery packs. Don’t plug it in and you get a gas-powered car that’s heavier and potentially has more emissions from lugging around a battery pack of which only a fraction gets used.
Therein lies the rub. In the 2020s, we simply don’t know whether the bulk of PHEVs sold in the U.S. are ever plugged in—and if so, how often and how much. Their makers won’t tell us.
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