the HEV is the only way ahead in rural areas such as mine
TBH I'm not so sure. People in Rural areas tend to be less well-off, and the cost per mile of HEV compared to BEV is much higher due to the comparative inefficiency and the much higher maintenance costs. Also people in rural areas tend to have more space to park compared to city dwellers so home charging is much more feasible. Add in solar panels and you're getting practically free motoring in summer.
BTW, those of you like me who're quite rightly concerned about the sourcing of solar panels from places where concern for human rights is not of the highest might like to note that high-quality panels from companies like SunPower, which is where I got mine, are manufactured in Malaysia and the Philippines.
