The last vehicle I purchased was a PHEV minivan. I spend a lot of time thinking about it and analyzing the cost/benefit. For our particular use case it was the perfect vehicle.
All our short trips and errands around town, plus a lot of idling waiting for kids is done on electric. The battery is small so a level 2 charger in our garage fills up in 2 hours from empty — easily manageable between errands.
For longer trips, including a couple 3000+ mile family vacations, the car works perfectly. No range anxiety, quick fill ups, and plenty of space for passengers and cargo.
For many people who do not have regular access to charging, I can see Hybrids and PHEVs being a good solution, especially since the smaller battery can give you 4-5 vehicles for the same amount of battery as a single BEV.
Of course, it seems terribly wasteful to build a whole frickin’ second power train. A gas-powered battery charger would make a lot of sense, no? I sure hope regulations don’t prevent that. For example, I have no idea what kind of fuel economy you’d get. If it were good, you’d think they’d’ve developed it already. But if it weren’t so good, it’s work great as a back-up, if the EPA didn’t score the car terribly for having it.