An eCVT is a single planetary gear set with an electric motor, no clutches, no valving, no shifting. It replaces the need for a reduction gear box on a typical EV setup. The transmission nets a 10-15% increase in fuel economy, avoiding conversion losses. Same complexity at the end of the day.

---

Not completely true. Hybrids, especially Toyotas, often eliminate a lot of the repair-prone mechanical systems that ICE vehicles implement or cut their wear rates in half - traditional transmission for eCVT, starter motor, drive belts, dedicated alternator, brake pads, etc etc. It's not accurate to say hybrids have the problems of both. Also the engine always runs at its optimal rpm eliminating a lot of loading stress.

---

>Newer Toyota/Honda hybrids use the engine solely as a generator to charge the batteries. All propulsion is done by electric motors. Categorically false for Toyota. Toyota's Hybrid system is radically different than Honda's. Honda's is what you describe with what basically amounts to a plunger in the transaxle to mechanically connect the engine at highway speeds above 60MPH. Toyota's traditional (everywhere) hybrid system is an internal combustion engine, and two [high voltage]/[traction]-battery operated electric motor-generators mounted to a transaxle and paired through a planetary ring gearset; what we know today as the eCVT. https://archive.org/details/PSDAnim Here's a helpful tool that's enabled me to understand just how simple, mechanically speaking, this configuration is. It's quite literally idiot proof. You \*CAN* get the common Toyota hybrid to run EV at highway speeds, but only under certain conditions and only for a very short span of time. Source: I own one now, and my previous vic was also a Toyota hybrid. The newer Toyota hybrids (iForce MAX series) mount the single electric motor to the point between the 8 or 10 speed automatic transaxle and the engine flywheel. Operation is otherwise normally the same.

---

PHEVs are more efficient than EREVs because the power directly powers the wheels and does not incur losses to convert the power to electricity then back to motion. The engine only revs up for high power demand like flooring it. The eCVT keeps RPMs in the most efficient range.

---

Ford uses the same eCVT in a bunch of hybrid models as far back as the 2013 cmax. Mazda has the exact same rav4 PHEV powertain in the cx-50.

---