However, when taking a long trip I did have to once take into account an increase in elevation from starting point to finish. It's not as much a problem if the uphills equal the downhills. The problem is if the average uphills are more than the downhills. It's not a biggy as long as you do your homework. Assuming the trip you're going on is good for an EV anyway (I wouldn't get an EV unless you're married and need 2 cars anyway so the other car is an ICE car for the every now and then use that's not good for an EV).
The hybrid engine is good for about 2 miles at 30 mph on a flat road, but that's not what it's for. However, I hear that new plug-in hybrids can give somewhere between 20 and 50 miles before the ICE kicks in. Since I don't commute anymore (and when I did I only drove to the park-and-ride lot six miles from home), I could see getting a plug-in hybrid for local errands.
What do you know about plug-in hybrids?
-PJ