That’s a lot of money.  A Godzilla crate engine by comparison can be purchased for +/- $8,500.  You’d have to add labor of course, but shows many small engines aren’t cheap.  Anyway, my limited research on cost to replace a battery pack roughly in 75 kWh range suggests it far exceeds $11k.  Even the smaller battery packs used in base Nissan Leaf or BMW i3 are so expensive that if they fail after car is out of warranty (normally after 8 years) the replacement cost exceeds the car’s value.  Doesn’t mean it can’t be done, but I’d have a hard time investing $15k or more on a 10-year-old Leaf that’s worth less than that.  While car could be salvaged by others, the owner would likely take a huge hit having to sell for pennies on the dollar.

From my experience the problem starts at the top, and the only way to correct it is with top down change (usually requiring a change in corporate culture). Having been on the supplier side, I do not see anything changing soon. Funny story, when Ford was doing a massive press shop modernization, all new hydraulic operated equipment was being installed in one area. There was a panic call just before startup that the hydraulic systems were malfunctioning - turns out the piping was very poorly done. Digging into how this happened, it seems that the contract for the hydraulic piping in that area was awarded to an electrical contractor due to their bid being lowest. And they had no experience in hydraulic piping, but knew how to run rigid conduit, and did a very substandard job. It looks as if this is endemic still.

I had a 2013 Escape with the 2.0EB and 6 speed.  I currently have a 2020 Escape with 2.0EB and 8 speed.  I occasionally drive a fleet model Escape with the 1.5EB and 8 speed.   Biggest difference is the noise.  1.5EB is noisier and rougher.  It's not horrible by any means.  But you would tell the difference.   Used to get 24 mpg on the old Escape.  Now I get 33-34 mpg on the new one.  For me, I prefer the smoother engine.  It's worth the couple of mpg difference.  Others may not have the same priorities.

People don't like change, but at the same time if you have a major ICE powertrain failure, it will cost you around 11K to get it fixed, going by a thread I've seen on Bronco6G with a Bronco Engine. 

Your not because if you went with an Atkinson style setup in a larger/more powerful engine, your power losses are going to be greater and not be evened out by adding a hybrid motor to help. Then add in additional weight etc and its more or less a lost cause. That is why Ford was marketing the hybrid in the F-150 as a power adder/power generation, not an increase in MPGs.   

Ford seems to be doing exactly that with the HF55 transmission (https://fordauthority.com/2025/01/2025-ford-maverick-transmissions-everything-you-need-to-know/).

Agreed. Ford struck gold with the 2.5 hybrid, they should keep building in and improving hybrid systems like that. The higher tow rating and AWD capability in the newer maverick hybrid is definitely a step in the right direction. 

Agree with EREV functional benefits in theory but IMO it’s going to take the perfect balancing act between battery capacity and engine size in order to keep price down while still providing reasonable towing capabilities.  Unfortunately every owner’s need is different so a lot of buyers won’t be happy no matter where the manufacturer draws that line.  I’d personally like to see more done to improve hybrid pickups’ capabilities and efficiency, and also additional models/sizes. 

To be clear, I was thinking and writing about buyers who just have to have the “EV” experience in their truck or large SUV; and are willing to spend more money to obtain that feature and or luxury; hence was comparing EREV against BEV option.  As I stated previously I think EREVs will have a difficult time competing against latest hybrids once technology from smaller vehicles are scaled in size and power; at least on cost basis.  Agree that pure range extender will likely be too inefficient for towing on a regular basis.  Perhaps an EREV pickup will work for someone who drives close to home 90+ percent of time and rarely tows any long distance.  The market is probably small under those conditions which may explain why RAM delayed their EREV AFAIK.

EREV is a range extender, not a PHEV.  You still have to charge the batteries just not as often.