The newest midsize crossover in Stellantis’ European lineup is available in five or seven-passenger configurations with either mild hybrid ICE or BEV drivetrain configurations – but that’s not the interesting part. The interesting part is this: whether you go with gas or electric, the price you pay remains the same. (!) Price parity, in the context of EVs, basically means that it would cost the same to buy an electric version of a car as an internal combustion version. Whether or not making parity a priority makes sense (and there are plenty who would argue that it doesn’t), there is still a persistent belief that EVs cost more than comparable gas cars.
Well, they did, anyway. The new Vauxhall Frontera is a mid-size crossover set to launch in the UK later this year with a £23,495 price tag (approx. $30,705) for the ICE version … and £23,495 for the BEV.
Not just ICE, it’s the hybrid:
I initially thought no one would buy the ice, but hybrid is a different story.
https://www.encycarpedia.com/vauxhall/24-frontera-hybrid-136-suv
51mpg is pretty fucking good for a SUV…
And while England is denser than America, there’s a lot of areas without charging. I could see the hybrid still doing better at the same price.
Reminder that gallons in the US are different than the UK. 51 UK MPG ≈ 42.5 US MPG.
Like in the US, and what toyota has always known, hybrids are a vastly better option. Entire vehicle is lighter, so tires last much longer, no range anxiety or issues, no expensive house mods if you need a higher speed charger at home, no need to plug in, which can be near impossible if you live in an apartment, and when the battery in a hybrid goes bad, they’re WAY cheaper and easier to replace.
I replaced my 75 pound prius hybrid battery myself in an afternoon. The new oem battery cost me $3,000. Hell of a lot better than having to tow it to a shop and spending $15,000 to get a 1,000 pound battery replaced. My hybrids prius last tires lasted me 55,000 miles and they’re cheap $65 tires. Nissan leaf tires have been reported last people just 20,000 to 30,000 miles and those are one of the smaller, lighter evs. The tires you’re supposed to buy for tesla sedans are like $700 a set.
Is replacing batteries common for hybrid cars?
Most batteries last about 1000+/- cycles, so person driving a plug-in hybrid car mostly electric might face a bad battery after only three years (assuming daily full charge). This is just my personal calculation, I’ve never really heard any reports on this issue.
I’m talking non plug in. Plug in ones are bigger and heavier by a fair amount.
As to wear stuff, your numbers are way off. Cycle count is more around 2500 now, but that’s complete charge and discharge. No hybrids or pure evs like letting you use a battery range that big, so the batteries will last a lot longer. My hybrid battery lasted about 13 years and over 200,000 miles before needing replaced.
Thank you!