This.

Are you somewhere in the Sierra foothills?

Work had a DOE-funded PHEV Dodge Ram 4x4 crew cab back around 2011. It was awesome. Did truck things (including commuting); had about 16 miles of electric range. Power export in the bed. Sweet ride.

I saw a Subaru the other day in the neighborhood that a personalized license plate that said “PZEV RU” or something like that. I laughed for a block or two.

This. So much this. Thank you.

In Germany anyway, mid-level folks get access to a leased company car as a perk. This lease often comes with a gas card that the company pays. That’s a perverse incentive.

The Jeep Wrangler PHEV just arrived at the dealer a week or so ago. What is more fun than driving a car with no roof and no doors?

This. The first wave of EU PHEVs had a 10 mile range (or whatever the requirement was). A few of them made it to the U.S.

Yeah, if the EU PHEV drivers aren’t plugging in, that’s a problem. This problem is made worse by some country-wide business practices where mid-level employees receive an option to lease a company car at a low price with a gas card. How about looking at those policies? Companies could still offer the cheap lease as a…

So this is largely because drivers aren’t plugging in PHEVs in the EU? This problem is made worse by some country-wide business practices where mid-level employees receive an option to lease a company car at a low price with a gas card.  How about looking at those policies?

Thank you. The Jalopnik article from July 2020 talks about the launch of a Compass 4xe in Europe

4th: I’m confused - wasn’t the Compass 4xe already available in Europe?

Had an all-electric FIAT 500E which we named “Qbert.” Loved the car, but it died on us three times, including in the middle of an intersection in front of a light-rail train that was approaching and (thankfully) coming to a scheduled stop. Invoked the law of lemons and ended up with an i3 REx.

Thank you.

Very well-written. Thank you.

1. Can you lift it?

I interned for Porsche R&D in Weissach the summer of 1997. While the other American intern got to analyze Excel files full of exhaust data, I worked in the “Finished Prototype Department,” basically the team of ~12 mechanics who would build and modify prototype, pre-production, and small volume production vehicles. It…

So $2/month in deferred maintenance costs? Pretty impressive.

Yup. This.

As much as I wish all these startups all the best, there is a looming SPAC-down.