Versatility makes PHEVs an attractive offering for the foreseeable future

Not every automaker has identified plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) as an important offering for their customers. With two separate powertrains, their complexity and resulting cost is high, and it is easy to understand why some may prefer to pour research and development money into pure battery-electrics (BEVs) instead, particularly when the numbers suggest that from a worldwide perspective, the tide may be turning in favour of full electrification: figures from McKinsey show that BEV sales are outstripping those of PHEVs, with the latter now accounting for 34% of all electric vehicles on the road – down from 44% in 2012. Around 400,000 were sold in 2017, compared with 800,000 BEVs.