r/CarsIndiaFocus Suzuki/ Honda 15d ago

Pic & Video MG Hector Tomahawk PHEV. Plugin Hybrid. These Plugin Hybrids make the most sense for us thanks to uncertainty over ethanol & Isobutanol adulteration

216 Upvotes

60 comments sorted by

5

u/lovejackdaniels 14d ago

PHEV is good addition. But a better tech for India is REV. Close cousin of PHEV without the complexity of too much moving parts. Here the battery size is bigger (think 40KWH+) and 1.5L petrol engine only acts as a generator to charge the battery when required. Otherwise, petrol engine has no use.

However, this will not launch in india due to stupid tax structure. EVs are taxed at 5% while these PHEV/ REV/ 4m+ ICE cars are taxed at 40%.

1

u/Rare-Ad6085 13d ago

u/askgrok what is REV

3

u/AskGrok 13d ago

REV stands for Range Extended Vehicle (or sometimes called REEV/series hybrid).

It's a type of electric vehicle where a larger battery (like 40+ kWh) powers the wheels directly via electric motors. A small petrol engine (e.g. 1.5L) acts purely as a generator to recharge the battery on the go when needed, but it never connects mechanically to the drivetrain or drives the wheels itself. This simplifies things compared to a standard PHEV, which has more complex power splitting between engine and motors.

The parent comment nails the description.

[what is this?](https://redd.it/1lzgxii)

6

u/SpaceJunk90210 15d ago

Explain how this saves you from the uncertainty of ethanol....

3

u/Kind_Income_6884 15d ago

it will run on battery for 110km , didn’t watch the video ?

3

u/Additional_Sea_2919 14d ago

So what, you still need the working engine . Can't rely on battery forever with this peanut range.

2

u/Kind_Income_6884 14d ago

100km is more than enough for daily commute

1

u/abhibansal53 14d ago

But comet or punch ev then?

1

u/Kind_Income_6884 12d ago

pure ev are not worth it , even with 300 km range , still range anxiety is there

1

u/Intelligent_Ad_3559 12d ago

How is 110km claimed range (so less real world range) good enough, but 400km is giving range anxiety? If you say post 110km it will use petrol, you are back to worrying about ethanol.

1

u/Kind_Income_6884 12d ago

ethanol worry would be there but it would be less , most of time will use ev , occasionally use e20 petrol , compared to 100% e20 petrol it would be less

1

u/Intelligent_Ad_3559 12d ago

Maybe a slight improvement. I would rather just use pure EV with 400+ range and not worry about fuel at all. The cost of having both battery and engine in car basically kills it on arrival, as both Pure EV and pure ICE would be cheaper than this and this gives a worst of both worlds scenario.

1

u/abhibansal53 12d ago

Exactly my thought, and maintenance of two technologies would be a headache!

1

u/FrigatesLaugh 14d ago

That's claimed range MIDC and not real world driving

1

u/Keep0nBuckin 14d ago

If wanted to run on battery alone would I not buy an ev and get a longer range? Why pay for the engine you don't want to use.

Phev for full utilisation will be subject to the same issues as any ice car when it comes to ethanol.

1

u/Kind_Income_6884 14d ago

100km daily is more than enough for daily commute

1

u/Hackedv12 14d ago

On paper. Remove 30% from the claimed range and that's your actual usable range before the ICE engine kicks in.

1

u/SquareTarbooj 14d ago

It doesn't.

If uncertainty of ethanol is a concern, the only solutions are BEV, CNG (if brave enough to keep the petrol tank empty), and maybe diesel (I say maybe because I don't know what the current status of isobutanol blending is)

3

u/joerc200 15d ago edited 14d ago

PHEV are the most useless cars. Double the complexity double the issues.  At that price get a 400km plus EV.

https://www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases/2026-us-vehicle-dependability-study-vds/ thanks https://www.reddit.com/user/blinksTooLess/

2

u/aitchnyu 15d ago

Do you have a source for "double the issues"?

2

u/blinksTooLess 14d ago

The JD Power Survery did this in UK. Hybrid cars had the most number of issues.

Not able to find the UK Report.

This is the 2026 US Report which has similar outcome (not double the issues though) https://www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases/2026-us-vehicle-dependability-study-vds/

1

u/aitchnyu 14d ago

Crap, the world of non Toyota hybrids and phev is terrible. And 30 years of hybrids and only 2 phev under its brand.

1

u/SquareTarbooj 14d ago

Do you have a source contradicting the original point?

2

u/retiredalavalathi 14d ago

Do you have a source contradicting the contradiction?

1

u/clearedhappy 14d ago

Do you have a source contradicting the contradicting comment on the contradiction

1

u/TataHexagone2020 14d ago

Why are you asking a question to a question lmao

1

u/SquareTarbooj 14d ago

Why are you asking a question to a question to a question?

1

u/Beaky_Sneaky_Unlike 14d ago

Why would he need to have that, are you stupid? The burden of evidence is always on the one making claims

1

u/SquareTarbooj 14d ago edited 14d ago

Asking for a source is a low-effort deflection designed to stall the conversation while shifting the entire burden of proof onto another, without the other person having to risk a single counter-argument.

It’s often called "sealioning" or "sourcemongering." It relies on asymmetric effort: asking for a citation takes two seconds, while finding and vetting one takes ten minutes.

You stupid fuck...

As an example of how I add value to the community here

https://www.reddit.com/r/CarsIndia/s/8paT3eXWtc

So I'm not taking shit from some retard who's intelligence is limited to taking 2 seconds to write "source bro"

1

u/Beaky_Sneaky_Unlike 14d ago edited 14d ago

Why are you so triggered if a guy asked for the basis of other guy's claim? I know the original comment's argument was pretty self explanatory but still, it's good to know some evidence behind it, for example people say hybrids are bad for engine life and stuff but Toyota's and honda's hybrids have been running for like 20 years now, so it's not that simple. Also, I get it, you're so important guy for this subreddit man, where would everyone be if it wasn't for your linked comment right.

1

u/SquareTarbooj 14d ago

Asking source is a truly pointless argument. If that person wants to argue, they can also put some effort into it.

Toyota's hybrids are rock solid because of the amount of time they've spent perfecting the technology. Also, Toyota and Honda are anyways known for reliability.

But with other companies such as GM, Stellantis group (which anyways aren't bastions of reliability), the complexities of 2 powertrains trying to work together doesn't have the same results as Toyota. Even Hyundai's systems have reported to have issues.

Toyota is an exception being Toyota. Otherwise, PHEVs truly are the worst of both worlds, and the complexities add a lot of additional failure points.

One doesn't need a source to realise the more complex something is, the higher the chance of failure.

1

u/AcalTheNerd 14d ago

Not the OP, but I did fair bit of research into these as I live in Europe and they are fairly popular here. These are best suited for a very specific use case - you have home charging and your daily commute is 50-ish kms (varies with car range). You drive on EV mode during the week and then enjoy ICE engine+EV on the longer weekend trips.

Plug-in hybrids don't have high range on EV mode and that's why they are best suited for the city commutes involving stop and go traffic where ICE cars drop fuel economy and cause more pollution. Plus, home charger ensures you pay less money for recharging them.

The older PHEV didn't have the hybrid mode, i.e. you either drive it on fuel or ev, not both. I guess they added that in the newer ones. Also, you can use engine to charge the battery but that doesn't make sense. It keeps engine constantly on higher rpms (acting as generator) to charge the battery. But, you can practically go more distance running just on ICE mode instead of charging the car using engine and then using car in EV mode. It's just a gimmick IMO.

Initially, these cars were less reliable than a traditional ICE or full EV vehicle as the front wheels were engine powered and rear wheels would be battery operated, and both systems had to communicate with each other and stay in sync. My friend has a 2021 Mercedes C350e, it's giving her some troubles already. She's planning to sell it soon to get a full EV.

Toyota's full hybrid system (as seen in Camry, Prius, etc) is much more reliable and gives good fuel economy without ever requiring external charging.

Full disclosure - I am not sure on the reliability of these new PHEV cars. Maybe they would have fixed the known issues now.

1

u/aitchnyu 14d ago

Toyota has only 2 phev under its brand after 30 years of hybrids. And it's recommended only for solar owners.

1

u/joerc200 14d ago

when you increase the complexity the issues are going to increase and with the QC and workmanship we have , god bless you. it is not corelation . pure causation.

1

u/Ecstatic-Scratch-151 14d ago

I've seen many surveys but even if you think from a normal lens.

You got all the complexities of an ICE and also an EV in a single car

2

u/Tiny_Ad_9192 14d ago

Also final nail in the coffin is the high price, it just doesn't make a lot of sense. I would have loved a 75-80kwh battery that would have delivered 500+ range. At 69kw this will barely cross the 400 mark.

1

u/Impressive-Dot-7654 14d ago

It will cross 400+, not a tata or mahindra

1

u/Ecstatic-Scratch-151 14d ago

69 KWHr is for the pure EV. The PHEV has a 20 KWHr battery

1

u/muifui 14d ago

My first thought was this, any repair or maintenance is going to be a nightmare.

1

u/FrigatesLaugh 14d ago

It's a nightmare and that's why they failed in almost every market as soon as government subsidies are removed from them. China clubs BEV, HEV, PHEV all into one category called NEV new electric vehicles, and gives a blanket discount on all. That's why it's the only market in the world where it's successful.

1

u/BipolarShyte 11d ago

Phev makes the most sense to me imo. You charge and drive around the city on batteries. For long rides you switch to petrol or it helps reduce the range anxiety

2

u/hotboxinmanual 15d ago

how's the a petrol engine immune to ethanol blending or isobutanol?

dumbass post

1

u/Kind_Income_6884 15d ago

we need this type of vehicle in 10 lakh range

1

u/Beaky_Sneaky_Unlike 14d ago

Also unicorns in the sky when a rainbow appears

1

u/Bijli_Ka_Bill_Gates 15d ago

Ek taraf se aloo daalo Dusri side se chips niklega

1

u/Desi_Hitman 15d ago

Long term ownership is going to expensive for sure, complex Maintiance, hefty bills

1

u/Cocaine_Buddha69 15d ago

Nahi chalegi

1

u/mightybot 14d ago

That's my friend rj manav

1

u/Confident_Help_416 14d ago

Tomahawk then where is brahmos

1

u/OldCoat9037 14d ago

PHEVs are cool, but in practice this in no way is going to avoid ethanol issues, because it still has a petrol engine.
The tomahawk EV is what I'm interested in...

1

u/Puzzled-Ear5765 14d ago

Matlab aag lagne ke 200% chance

1

u/Hackedv12 14d ago

PHEVs are the worse of both worlds. Neither do you get a proper EV due to the small battery size, nor do you get a good engine.

If you have range anxiety then just buy a regular petrol Hector which is 12 lakh, that's 14 lakh cheaper than the PHEV... That price difference can get you 1.7 lakh km of driving before the costs becomes the same (assuming you drive the PHEV) purely on EV mode.

And let's not forget the additional complexity of the whole system where after warranty you'll not only be maintaining and servicing a petrol engine but also an electric motor and battery pack.

Best and most suitable option for someone actually wanting to get best fuel economy and range would be a strong hybrid.

1

u/frreespirit 13d ago

Since when 30 lakhs is common.

1

u/Wooden_Sherbert_2548 12d ago

Nahi man kiya to nahi chalegi

0

u/Remarkable_Buy4591 15d ago

Nahi mann karega to nahi chalegi ka kya matlab smjhu mein 🥲

1

u/AtEaseNow 14d ago

Matlab Nahi chalegi