Road Tests: Green Cars—Pre- and Post- Pandemic

2020 Lexus RX 450hL Hybrid/2020 Hyundai Ioniq Plug-in Hybrid

I have spent the last six weeks working from home—sheltering in place to avoid catching or spreading COVID-19. My technical writing job, though, turns out to be the one thing that has stayed consistent. I can still do it just as well from home, and I feel fine. But the virus has wreaked havoc on my car testing schedule.

As factories have closed, planes are grounded and millions of people have stopped driving, we have seen something wonderful. In contrast to causing sickness and death, our air quality has improved significantly worldwide. People in India can now see the Himalayas for the first time in three decades. The air in historically smoggy Los Angeles is pristine. And in my Bay Area community of Castro Valley, the blue skies and white clouds of a heartbreakingly beautiful spring remind me of the azure heavens of my childhood in the middle of the 20^th century. The blue goes down all the way to the horizon.

While the worldwide economy is already taking a hit—and will likely be in recession for the rest of the year, if not longer, it brings up some questions. What if we could permanently reduce our air pollution? How can we reduce our driving? What’s the future of personal transportation?

In terms of our long-term worldwide issue–climate change–this clean air is a blessing. And while it doesn’t solve our problem, it gives us a taste of what’s possible.  Also, the current worldwide health crisis is a microcosm of the entire climate issue. For both, we must all work together to solve our shared problem.

So, where does this leave auto reviewing?

I had my last two test vehicles the weeks of March 5 and March 12. During that time, I went from washing my hands a lot and still going to the office to staying home and continuing to wash my hands. That means the cars got very little seat time, and mostly sat in my driveway. But I can tell you something about what makes them a part of the green car landscape I’m now planning to leave behind.

2020 Lexus RX 450hL AWD

The 2020 Lexus RX450hL is a family-size, well-appointed crossover SUV. It has been a very successful model for the brand and created and exemplifies the midsize luxury crossover market. Today, it has plenty of competition, as it sits in a sweet spot.

My tester, in tasteful Nori Green Pearl, featured a 3.5-liter V6 engine that puts out 308 horsepower, so it’s strong on the road. There’s an electric motor in there too, which improves the EPA-rated fuel economy by several mpg and delivers better EPA Green ratings–7 for Smog and 6 for Greenhouse gas. Official fuel economy is 29 mpg city/28 highway/29 combined. My average, driving minimally, came to just 20.5 mpg (more freeway driving would likely have pushed it up some).

The car base-prices at $50,460, but my loaded tester came to $63,645.

Bottom line—the RX Hybrid is cleaner than the standard version of the RX, but it’s an incremental improvement, and isn’t doing a lot to keep those skies blue. Toyota, Lexus’ parent and purveyor of the Prius, has done well with hybrid technology, but there are better options to get us to a 50 percent reduction in CO₂ by 2030, which is what the U.N.’s IPCC says we must do to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius.

2020 Hyundai Ioniq Plug-in Hybrid

My second March test car, the 2020 Hyundai Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid, arrived the Thursday of my first work-from-home week. Like the Lexus, it made a few trips to the BART station for my commute and errands around town, but was also idled part of the time.

The Ioniq is Hyundai’s answer to Toyota’s Prius, except it’s a bit more traditionally styled. You can get one as a regular hybrid, a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version, like my Intense Blue tester, or a full EV version. As a PHEV, it can run about 29 miles without using gas, if you plug it in. That means that, depending on your use, it could be a mostly electric car if you drive locally and charge it up regularly. But if you felt like driving across the state or the country on a whim, you could fill it up with gas and go.

The Ioniq, like its fellow Hyundais, enjoys attractive styling and excellent build quality, and features an industry-leading warranty. Unlike the Lexus RX, it is not intended as a luxury vehicle. But, it’s a comfortable, pleasant way to get around.

As the Limited model, my tester had no options—the good stuff was included in the $34,040 price.

The Ioniq PHEV combines a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine with a 44.5 kilowatt electric motor and an 8.9 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion polymer battery system. With the extra battery, you get more stats: using electricity and gasoline, the EPA rates it at 119 MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent) and it earns a Prius-like 52 mpg with gas only. EPA Green scores are 7 for Smog and a perfect 10 for Greenhouse Gas.

Bottom line–A PHEV seems like a smart choice, and definitely reduces air pollution. But, to remove range anxiety and the hunt for electric chargers, a plug-in hybrid must carry its engine, gas tank, radiator, exhaust system and all the rest with it all the time, even when it’s not using them. So, while a PHEV seems like a “compromise” between a pure EV and a regular hybrid (and it’s definitely better than a standard gas car), it’s still a petroleum burning, CO₂-emitting ride much of the time.

Summary–Future Direction

In the post-COVID-19 world, we need to continue to find alternatives to driving and cleaner ways to move around. Public transit will likely take a while to feel safe again, especially before a vaccine is found and administered. More people may discover they like working at home, and their companies may find it’s a good arrangement for them, too. Carsharing and ridesharing services will rebound when they seem safe, too. In cities, we need more bicycle-friendly roads and infrastructure. And as automakers bring out more pure EVs and the charging infrastructure is built out, we must move away from hybrids and PHEVs entirely. That’s my plan as a car-reviewer going forward. Let’s keep those skies blue.

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Disclosure:

Clean Fleet Report is loaned free test vehicles from automakers to evaluate, typically for a week at a time. Our road tests are based on this one-week drive of a new vehicle. Because of this we don’t address issues such as long-term reliability or total cost of ownership. In addition, we are often invited to manufacturer events highlighting new vehicles or technology. As part of these events we may be offered free transportation, lodging or meals. We do our best to present our unvarnished evaluations of vehicles and news irrespective of these inducements.

Our focus is on vehicles that offer the best fuel economy in their class, which leads us to emphasize electric cars, plug-in hybrids, hybrids and diesels. We also feature those efficient gas-powered vehicles that are among the top mpg vehicles in their class. In addition, we aim to offer reviews and news on advanced technology and the alternative fuel vehicle market. We welcome any feedback from vehicle owners and are dedicated to providing a forum for alternative viewpoints. Please let us know your views at publisher@cleanfleetreport.com.