Plug-In Hybrid SUVs: Where are they all?

RickFromPleasanton

Hello, my wife and I are beginning research into a post-retirement comfortable SUV. We want hybrid and the Lexus 450 and Toyota Highlander are certainly strong candidates. But the Toyota RAV4 Prime caught my eye for its status as a PHEV. That got me excited for what seemed like the perfect category of car for me, but my excitement dissipated when I concluded that there are precious few vehicles in this niche. I wish I could tell the Lexus dealer that we want the 450H and we want it in the plug-in model. We want that Highlander in PH, please.

We can't do that. And that got me wondering whatever happened to what was once forecast to be a plug-in revolution. Why don't all hybrid models offer a plug-in option? What happened to this bold new idea? Did it get swallowed up in the EV wave? If so, why?

texases

The plug ins take much bigger (more $$$) batteries than the regular hybrid, so the market for them has been small. There are several, see this list:
https://www.carfax.com/blog/best-plug-in-hybrid

p.s. - I wouldn't expect too many more, automakers are going after the EV market, and some European countries are not happy with plug-ins, because folks don't plug them in, burning gas like (or worse than) a regular hybrid.