Auto Buyers Guide Podcast

Debunking The PHEV Falsehoods, Wagoneer S Needs To Die, Jeep Recon vs Rivian R2

September 14, 2026·57 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

Plug-in hybrids are under attack from both sides — greens who want everyone in a full EV yesterday, and gas loyalists who think an electric motor belongs nowhere near a combustion engine. Caught in the crossfire is a perfectly reasonable technology that, at least in America, is actually working. This week the team tears apart the latest viral "PHEVs are evil" article and exposes the dirty secret buried in its data: it's built entirely on European company car statistics, and applying it to the American buyer who *chose* a plug-in hybrid with their own money is about as logical as using Tokyo bus schedules to plan a road trip across Texas. Is an EREV just a PHEV with a better publicist? Should Jeep be planting solar chargers along the Rubicon Trail? And does the Jeep Recon make more sense than the Rivian R2 — or is 200 miles of range just not enough when the nearest pine tree doesn't have a plug? Strap in for a wide-ranging, opinion-heavy ride through the murkiest corners of the electrification debate, with a toddler occasionally losing her mind in the background for ambiance. 00:00:00 - Intro: Baby, Bogotá & Back 00:00:26 - PHEVs Are NOT 6x Dirtier: Debunking the Article 00:02:29 - The EU Company Car Problem That Doesn't Apply to America 00:05:00 - US PHEV Owners Actually Do Plug In: The Real Data 00:11:16 - EREV vs. PHEV: Are They Just the Same Thing? 00:17:39 - Grand Wagoneer EREV: Generator Mode & the RV Camping Case 00:27:39 - Serial vs. Parallel Hybrids: Nissan Rogue vs. Honda & Mitsubishi 00:32:37 - Jeep Recon EV: Off-Road Reality & the 200-Mile Range Problem 00:40:36 - Jeep Recon vs. Rivian R2: Which Should You Buy? 00:53:03 - Wagoneer S Should Die & Recon Needs a Hybrid

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