I'm firmly convinced that PHEVs will be a small niche if that. For me personally I wouldn't invest in one as a premium over the current Prius because with a 150 mi RT commute I'd only get 20 'gas-free' miles if the initial statements are right. That means that daily I'd save about 1/2 a gallon at current technology. Instead of 3 gal / day I'd end up using 2-1/2 gal. That would be a 15-20% total savings in fuel daily and annually.

The premium would have to be very very small for me to consider giving up the 'traditional' hybrid. OTOH my wife has a 24 mi RT commute each day and she'd be a perfect candidate for one. As long as it looked pretty and had a convertible top. LOL

Lifetime fuel usage: 2.1 GPC ( 1.99 recent )