Socket to 'em!

DO THOUGHTS OF ROAD TRIPS AND PUBLIC CHARGING PUT YOU OFF AN EV? HERE ARE TWO PLUG-IN HYBRIDS IMMUNE TO RANGE ANXIETY

- JAMES WHITBOURN

THE NEWS story highlighting ‘The problem with new cars’ caused the expected stir on Facebook.‘New cars’? EVs, presumably. But the car pictured wasn’t new, nor an EV. It was a several-year-old first-gen Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV.

Its owner had run a long extension cord from their house to charge the PHEV, which was parked on the street. Like most of us, they’re probably just dealing with high fuel prices and the spiralling cost of living.

Oh, the outrage! Yet what really stood out from the comments was how little awareness the average non-Wheels reader has about not only plug-in hybrids, but EVs, hybrids and the sustainable motoring big picture.

That’s not too surprising. The Outlander PHEV debuted in 2014 as the world’s first plug-in hybrid SUV and even now with EVs gaining real traction, the distinction between plug-ins, regular hybrids and those problematic ‘new cars’ is still easily lost.

The newly arrived second-gen Outlander PHEV, as part of the fourth-gen Outlander range, represents a solid upgrade over the original, bringing more powerful electric motors, increased battery capacity for extra EV-only range, a seven-seat option and a higher price.

By increasing the motor outputs from 60/70kW (front/rear) to 85/100kW and increasing the lithiumion battery capacity from 13.8kWh to 20kWh, compared with the previous-gen, 2022’s Outlander PHEV now has an extended EV-only range of 84km (based on NEDC official figures).

Given that Mitsubishi’s insights indicate more than 80 percent of PHEV owners already do most of their driving in EV mode, after plugging in each day, the well-judged boost to range should see the new model hit the mark.