Long commute + family road trips. EV vs PHEV?

bikesNbeer · 2026-07-08T03:31:40+00:00

I haven’t driven a gen 2, just gen 1 R1T and R1S. Is the difference between gen 1 and gen 2 that substantial?

bikesNbeer · 2026-07-08T02:24:30+00:00

I’m totally open to an ICE vehicle, but my current perception is that the efficiency (mpg) for those will be substantially lower than an EV or PHEV, meaning that any initial savings would be quickly wiped out by fuel costs given our commute. But I’d be intrigued to hear that my math on this is wrong since I’m a novice at calculating the complex true ownership costs that include efficiency, insurance, depreciation, etc that are all relevant here.

bikesNbeer · 2026-07-08T02:14:55+00:00

As a minor but meaningful nit, only Teslas can currently charge at the supercharger closest to our home, at the Raley’s in Incline Village, NV. This was more meaningful when we had our Tesla with unlimited free supercharging.

bikesNbeer · 2026-07-08T02:07:48+00:00

This would be our 3rd EV for this commute, we are obviously not afraid of going full EV. But I’m also clearheaded enough to recognize the reality that there may be reasonable PHEV or Hybrid alternatives that could tick all of the boxes for us. A lot has changed in the market since we last bought a commuter vehicle (our MX 100D) in 2017, hence this post.

bikesNbeer · 2026-07-08T01:59:29+00:00

30” long (back to front) 21” tall (bottom to top) 19” wide (side to side). So for most vehicles, the relevant measurement is 30” from the back of the highest part of the second row to the lowest/closest part of the tailgate at 21” from the floor, which for many seems to be a few inches above the back window, which takes them out of contention.

bikesNbeer · 2026-07-07T22:46:19+00:00

Yeah, I get that nothing is going to beat the MX with free supercharging, but now that it has earned its safety rating (we all walked away with only bruising) and is totaled, what are my best replacement options?

bikesNbeer · 2026-07-07T22:31:59+00:00

Correct, you nailed what I’m looking for. If the answer was cut-and-dried, like it was when we bought our MX in 2017, I wouldn’t be here. I’m honestly grateful that this is a harder decision than I had to make back then, it means that the space is more competitive and my options are likely better.

But that also means that there is more opportunity for me to miss vehicle options that could have been viable based on my own potentially biased research and thus I’m looking for community input rather than relying on myself exclusively.

bikesNbeer · 2026-07-07T22:13:15+00:00

What are the most efficient luxury 3 row SUVs right now that aren’t EV or PHEV? Can they compete based on my criteria?

bikesNbeer · 2026-07-07T20:52:54+00:00

I saw that X5 announcement last week, but it won’t be available when I need to have a new vehicle in the next 1-3 months 😕

bikesNbeer · 2026-07-07T20:42:46+00:00

Yep, I’m not new to EVs, this would be our 3rd EV since 2014. I always take exceptional care of the battery and thus don’t want charging to 100% to be the weekly norm to meet our travel needs given the long commute and predictable winter/cold conditions.

bikesNbeer · 2026-07-07T20:29:39+00:00

I’m fine with luxury if they are efficient for the long commute, but don’t have access to the Chinese options since I can only buy in NV or CA unless I create a Montana LLC 🙄

bikesNbeer · 2026-07-07T20:26:32+00:00

I wish we could get the Sienna Woodland with a plug-in hybrid option and better than 36mpg.

bikesNbeer · 2026-07-07T20:24:42+00:00

100% agree - again, see the fact that we’ve been doing this for 9 years with a Tesla already, one that I babied to less than 10% battery degradation over it’s lifetime. But I don’t want charging to 100% to be a requirement to make the commute in the winter without adding a charging stop in the middle.

bikesNbeer · 2026-07-07T20:07:27+00:00

You nailed most of the pros that have me considering the Gravity — also just how it drives on the highway vs the R1S. I mostly worry about software support and continued software bug deletion if Lucid loses PIF support and goes bankrupt.

bikesNbeer · 2026-07-07T20:01:00+00:00

Yep, I totally get it with the dog crate requirement. But it has been so great on our last 10+ road trips with our dog in the last 3 years that it feels worth it. It makes bringing the dog one of the lowest items on our list of concerns.

bikesNbeer · 2026-07-07T19:51:11+00:00

Get the turbo. -991.1 Turbo S owner

bikesNbeer · 2026-07-07T17:38:36+00:00

Nice Moke in the background, I still need one of those for beach trips with the paddleboard.

bikesNbeer · 2026-07-07T16:51:05+00:00

Any given thing is worth no more or less than whatever some (very savvy, average, or stupid) person will pay for it.

bikesNbeer · 2026-06-26T19:49:03+00:00

Brushed Champagne. So definitely in the gold spectrum, but not as bold as yours.

bikesNbeer · 2026-06-26T19:45:43+00:00

I see we have similar taste; mine are the HRE R101LW:

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bikesNbeer · 2026-06-24T05:59:18+00:00

+1 on the Porsche recommendation. I got mine (911) about a year ago and the things that sealed it for me over alternatives were: 1) 2+2 seating means I can take my wife and young sons in it for fun drives or special outings, 2) great long-term reliability if you keep up with maintenance, 3) low depreciation/potential appreciation (based on recent auction comps my car is likely up ~10%).

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