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Comment by rip_netrunner | Hacker News Reader

It's just a lot of extra engineering and cost to have two discrete motors in a car. You're probably going to have a seriously underpowered ICE in it as well since available speeds are reduced which makes it less suitable to highway driving. Not to mention the additional costs on maintaining both of those engines.

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> You're probably going to have a seriously underpowered ICE in it as well (snip) which makes it less suitable to highway driving

Why? You can put a powerful ICE in it just as easily.

My Chevy Volt can easily do 90+mph on the freeway, irregardless of whether it's on battery or gasoline. (Of course, I've never personally verified that...)

And yet Prius plugin hybrid sales are up almost 50% YoY. Pure EVs are probably the future at some point. But in the here and now, plugin hybrids are the pragmatic choice for a lot of people who mostly drive shorter distances and can charge at home but do longer trips also.

That's why the Volt didn't have an ICE, it had a gas-powered generator to run the electric motors. It's such a smart design that it's a crime they're killing the line.

That's still an ICE though.

It had an ICE-powered generator that could also be connected via clutches directly to the drivetrain for better efficiency at highway speeds.

ICE -> Generator -> Inverter -> Electric Motor is worse for efficiency at constant speed on the highway than just connecting the ICE directly to the wheels.

https://www.plugincars.com/exclusive-chevrolet-volt-chief-en...

OTOH going the generator route allows you to avoid quite a bit of drivetrain - a transmission, differential(s), etc. Wouldn't surprise me if actual efficiency comes quite close considering you shed 200lbs or so of weight. More than that if AWD.

The Volt's gas engine also engages directly with the wheels under some circumstances.

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