EV for commuting.
PHEV for road trips.
PHEV for road trips.
EV or PHEV, which fits best?
- Thread starter OVERKILL
- Start date
I might be wrong but it sounded like the SUV had a mode that ran on just battery. That would be perfect for short trips. The best of both worlds.
If your commute is short enough, yes. But don't expect Tesla like performance.
edyvw
$50 site donor 2025
OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
Correct, the Tesla-like performance comes in the 534HP i4 M50, which is just phenomenal. The SUV has 50Km of range on battery alone, 0-60 is just over 5 seconds, so definitely not as quick, but not bad either.
If you're talking about the RAV4 Prime, the 0-60 in just over 5 seconds is with in Hybrid mode. In EV mode, the 0-50 is just over 9 seconds, no where near Tesla-like performance.
Low 5 second 0-60 beats the snot outta most cars.
You want practical, get a Maverick.
Go for the M !
By the way, the real fun of these cars is not the 0-60, rather it is freeway merging, rocketing outta turns (part throttle only!) and making passengers say, "Wow!". It never gets old.
OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
That's currently what we are leaning toward. I spoke at some length with @mightymousetech a while back and he said this powertrain is bulletproof, which is an extremely solid endorsement from somebody that wrenches on bimmers every day.
OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
We are talking about two different vehicles.
- The EV sedan, which is the BMW i4 M50, has 534HP and compares to the Model 3 Performance in terms of acceleration.
- The SUV (which does NOT have Tesla-like performance) is the BMW X5 xDrive 45e, which has a 0-60 of 5.3 seconds.
Spec sheet:
edyvw
$50 site donor 2025
I know several master techs at various BMW dealerships. So far B58 proved to be exceptionally well behaved, minus that issue they had with oil filters (bad batch of filters) and coolant leaks (it is BMW after all, it has to have some coolant problem) in the beginning.
I asked same question, and got same answers: X5 with B58, PHEV or strictly ICE, doesn’t matter. Avoid X3!
But honestly, if you going new, I would wait LCI.
OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
Yeah, we aren't looking to do any sort of move right at the moment as any of the new ones are missing a few nice features like the HK sound system and the wireless charging. So most dealers aren't even ordering Premium Enhanced, because you can't get a large part of the package.
This is more a planning exercise, as I've now driven the i4, and it impressed the socks off of me, but going forward, we all see the way things are going, and PHEV and EV are going to be "it" in the near future. I like the flexibility aspect of the PHEV, but the performance of the full EV is undeniable and I think BMW hit it out of the park with the M50, I absolutely loved it.
The 0-60 is with the in Sport mode which is a hybrid mode.
Try that in EV mode, and it's going to be much slower, just like the case of the RAV4 Prime.
The electric motor is only 111 hp and 77 lb-ft of torque. That, along with the battery isn't going to get 0-60 in just over 5 seconds. It needs the 389 hp twinpower i-6 to get the 5 sec 0-60 time.
Most of the torque need for daily usage is going to be only for getting up to speed (0-60, 30-75, whatever). It should be done with both the ICE and electric motor together if you care about performance. Then afterward if you care about keeping the EV driving for as long as possible (because electricity is cheaper and "good for the environment" reasons), then you can stay in electric mode. Crusing at highway speed for a gas car only takes 30hp, an SUV 111hp should be enough, assuming the powertrain is tuned correctly that's what I would do.
What's the point if you are going to have a tank of gas for 6 months and not using it and let it go bad? Using it to accelerate is good, just that for the PHEV deep hybrid it may be better to do the opposite of what a mild hybrid does (use gas for cruising but battery for acceleration).
PHEV because EV still take way too much planning and things to go right in order to make elongated trips. The charging infrastructure is not there where you can easily find an available place to charge 100% of the time.
My coworker a has an EV and loves it around Montreal for 90% trips. Driving a few hundred km north or east it turns into a planning session, driving slow or sometimes under speed limit with heat off to make the destination. His last 6 hr trip in QC north turned to 10 hrs with the EV crutch.
My coworker a has an EV and loves it around Montreal for 90% trips. Driving a few hundred km north or east it turns into a planning session, driving slow or sometimes under speed limit with heat off to make the destination. His last 6 hr trip in QC north turned to 10 hrs with the EV crutch.
SammyChevelleTypeS3
$50 site donor 2023
Do folks now have to upgrade or modify home electrical? Just wonder if that would have to be done to provide the best, effective / cost efficient / safe home charging at will? Also. How does this all work if a person has no garage at their home? I know nothing much about the EVs. I have always liked the idea of Hybrid vehicles. 
OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
I'm aware of that, lol. My comments on Tesla-like performance were all confined to the i4 M50, the PHEV clearly won't offer that in battery-only mode, but then I'm not driving around doing 0-60 pulls from stop-lights either, that would be more for merging, passing...etc, which you'd be in hybrid mode for anyways.
OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
My garage wouldn't fit the X5 well, my truck won't even go in it (it's a glorified carriage house). My EV charger is on the wall of my house, beside my driveway. I had it installed by an electrician back when I had my Audi e-tron. It's a 50A outdoor rated dryer plug, so I can do L2 charging in my driveway, which is more than acceptable for overnight charging.
If you have central air, you will probably want a 200A service installed. You can get away with less if you plan around it, but that's less than ideal.
AZjeff
$50 Site Donor 2023
First thought is "happy wife - happy life", BUT, is this "your" ride or hers? The impression is the RAM is her ride and the SRT is yours. You've always been about high performance since I've been around here so 2 questions. Will the X5 scratch that itch well enough? Does the M50 fix whatever you didn't like about the Audi enough to live with it?
Tough spot trying to choose between those 2
Tough spot trying to choose between those 2
The first thing I ask people who are interested in our car is, "How you gonna charge?"
Level 1 is 110V plug; you will get about 5 mph. I believe very few people will be happy with this, but some are. Not me.
Level 2 is a 240V dedicated line; our car pulls 32A which delivers 28 to 30 mph. I paid $600 all in for a 50' run from the service box to the garage.
There are work arounds, like using a dryer outlet. That's OK if you are not using that outlet, the 240V plugs are not meant to be swapped a lot.
Most important, if your service panel is older, you will likely need to upgrade to a 200A service. That's big bucks.
You might be surprised how many people have goo-goo eyes for that cool EV but are blind to what ownership means.
There is no problem charging in your driveway.
SammyChevelleTypeS3
$50 site donor 2023
Got it. I am one of the cursed who always has to go overboard investigating and studying all kind of angles before I can make myself even attempt any move on to a new style or type of product. Wife is same way, so it takes us forever to accomplish anything new. It came with age.
When younger, we would do and attempt most anything.
