Five plug-in hybrids

BEST OF BOTH WORLDS

A quick glance at five plug-in hybrids that are redefining automotive design.

BY SHAUN TOLSON

As the automotive landscape shifts, soon vehicles that are equipped only with traditional, gas-powered engines will be rendered obsolete—or antiquated. While many automakers are doubling down on all-electric designs, it will likely take some time before the vast majority of cars out on the road are exclusively powered by rechargeable electric batteries. Here’s a glance at ve ef cient models produced by a diversi ed group of automotive brands.

Porsche

MOST EFFICIENT HYBRID: 2020 Panamera 4 E-Hybrid*

RANGE ON BATTERY CHARGE: 14 miles

OTHER SUSTAINABILITY FEATURES:

Equipped with Porsche Connect, an app to help nd charging options and to monitor vehicle functions. FUTURE EFFORTS: Porsche has con rmed that the next generation of the Macan will be a fully electric vehicle, the rst all-electric compact SUV that Porsche has produced. According to Oliver Blume, the chairman of the board of management for Porsche AG, the company “will be investing more than six FUTURE EFFORTS: The 2022 i4 and iX will both be fully electric vehicles. Other existing models will be modi ed to include hybrid variants, as well.

billion euros in electric mobility” by 2022. He estimates that by 2025, 50% of all new Porsche vehicles could be equipped with an electric drivetrain. STARTING PRICE: $103,800; porsche.com

*The 2021 model, to be unveiled this spring, will likely o er better range and e ciency, since it is equipped with an updated battery with more capacity. (EPA figures were not available at the time this story went to press.)

BMW

MOST EFFICIENT HYBRID: 330e PHEV Sedan RANGE ON BATTERY CHARGE: 22 miles OTHER SUSTAINABILITY FEATURES: Quali es for up to $5,836 in federal tax credits and also quali es for state-issued incentives for plug-in electric vehicles. STARTING PRICE: $44,550; bmwusa.com

Land Rover

MOST EFFICIENT HYBRID: 2021 Range Rover P400e and Sport P400e

RANGE ON BATTERY CHARGE: 19 miles OTHER SUSTAINABILITY FEATURES: When cruising at speeds faster than 65 mph, the suspension will lower the body by 0.6 inches to reduce drag. The vehicle’s Predictive Energy Optimization system will analyze traf c and whether the trip that is programed into the navigation system is urban or rural, and then it will seamlessly combine the