Just Barely
The electric ranges that plug-in hybrids can cover are rapidly increasing. For example, the Toyota RAV4 unveiled this week also achieves 100 kilometers according to the manufacturer. Until now, it was mainly the Volkswagen Group brands that offered an SUV as a PHEV with an electric range of more than 100 kilometers.
With an SUV equipped with a plug-in hybrid powertrain, you currently have gold in your hands as a manufacturer. An SUV is the body style that most buyers currently desire. At the same time, a group of buyers is not yet willing to venture into a fully electric car. They opt for the intermediate form, a hybrid car with a rechargeable battery pack so that they can get used to plugging in and cover large amounts of their kilometers electrically. You might wonder if you shouldn’t just go for an EV when you actually always drive electrically with your PHEV, except for the two times you go on vacation with the car. But well, that’s another discussion. In this article, we focus on the fact that the number of plug-in hybrid SUVs that are getting further on a charge of electricity is growing rapidly.
It already started with the stream of new SUVs from the Volkswagen Group. The Skoda Kodiaq iV, the Tiguan e-Hybrid, the Tayron e-Hybrid, and the Cupra Terramar e-Hybrid have a net 19 kWh battery pack. This allows the SUVs to cover more than 100 kilometers on a battery charge. If you at least fully charge the PHEVs. But in recent months, it has no longer been an exclusive Volkswagen party.
For example, the Chinese Leapmotors C10 REEV even achieves 145 kilometers on a battery charge according to the WLTP specification. More than 20 kilometers more than the models from Seat, Skoda, and Cupra. Recently, we drove another plug-in hybrid of Chinese make, the Lynk & Co 08 With that SUV, you even get 200 kilometers on a charge.
Volkswagen Tiguan eHybrid
Now Toyota is also joining the club. The new Toyota RAV4 PHEV achieves 100 kilometers on a battery charge, and then continues as a normal hybrid. Due to the popularity of plug-in hybrids, the importer only brings the versions with such a powertrain to our country. The 270h is the version with only front-wheel drive and, thanks to a 22.68 kWh battery pack, it would achieve 100 kilometers electrically. The 300h with 4WD remains below that.
More Exensive Segment
In the more expensive segment, a plug-in hybrid that has such a large rechargeable battery pack that allows 100 kilometers of electric driving is also available. The plug-in hybrid versions of the BMW X5, the Mercedes GLC and GLE, but also the Range Rover and the Range Sport break that limit.