Various skeptics and antagonists of plug in hybrid electric vehicles have offered a variety of opinions at this site.  I joined to propose some counter arguments.

1) Many people commute to day jobs.  During the day, PV can replace energy used to charge EV and PHEV at roughly equivalent to $3/gallon.  Coal may argue their equivalent is $0.75/gallon but at what environmental and health costs?  Our society has already shown $3/gallon would be welcome and acceptable.  In windy areas and especially when the wind blows the hardest at night, a combination of off-peak utility grid and wind could again charge EV and PHEV at <$3/gallon equivalent.

2) PHEV preserves the ICE infrastructure.  During the transistion to advanced transportation, the vendors of filters, motor oil, sparkplugs, etc. still have a market.  PHEV avoids the need for a new, vehicle fueling infrastructre.  PHEV provides the security and convenience of extended range.

3) It seems most major automakers habitually complain about how difficult it is to make a 50-100 miles per charge, practical vehicle and yet we have already seen, if only for awhile before they were mostly shredded, the GM EV-1 and the Toyota RAV-4 EV.  Both of these excellent vehicles could have easily been PHEV.  What is wrong with this picture?