For the first time since 2014, battery-electric vehicle (BEV) models have surpassed plug-in hybrids or PHEVs, which allow the car to include an internal combustion engine.
Some stakeholders see PHEVs as a bridge between ICEs and fully electric vehicles, with automakers including Toyota, Volvo, and BMW pumping out many models based on the hybrid drivetrain. They have remained popular, as they allow drivers hesitant to go fully electric to taste what an EV could look like.
However, according to the US Department of Energy, the number of EV models has surpassed that of PHEV for the first time since 2014. BEV models jumped from 20 to 38 in just one year, while the number of PHEV models dropped in 2022, according to Green Car Reports.
The DOE said it excluded multiple configurations in its counting method, meaning each model appeared only once.
While the number of available BEVs has now surpassed PHEVs for the first time in 2022, fully electric vehicles have outsold PHEVs since 2018. BEVs were about 6% of the US auto market, while PHEVs stood at only 1% at the end of 2022.
PHEVs might be around for a while, even as the auto market is showing their clear preference for BEVs, but more is going to be demanded of them. For example, California’s Advanced Clean Cars II (ACCII) will mandate PHEVs to have the equivalent of 50 miles of electric miles.
