Hard not to be in a festive mood: This is the Good Side of Inflation reports!
This is the day we told you was coming – the day when not only do Consumer Prices come out (yuck, right?) but also the day the new – higher – Social Security Payments lock-in.
As we told you a while back, August 11th, to be exact, we already had a big benefits hike penciled in for this year. This is based on the CPI-W figures which are presently running a bit higher than CPI-U. Here’s how guess-ahead penciled in August:
2021 3rd quarterly CPI-W into 2022 3rd quarterly CPI-W average equals percent increase. So our August 11th estimate was?
Forecast: 268.421 / 292.219 = 8.86 percent.
As you may remember, the increase for the present year was 5.9 percent. Today? Well, there’s some speculation we could see an almost 9-percent increase which would be the largest in 40-yeares. (Additional in Social Security payments set for big increase, explained (denverpost.com).
Still, going into this morning the CPI_W comparison was running:
| 2021 Avg | 268.4207 |
| 2022 so far | 291.924 |
| 2-Mo Comp | 1.087562 |
Which means we can recalculate with the new CPI-W just out was? Our forecast 8,87 percent from August is on the block here, depending on how government statisticians jiggered the CPI-W for the month…
Actual CPI-W Data Please?
Which pencils out as:
A little lower than our 8.86 percent forecast, but not terribly wide of the mark.
The FedGov rounds down, not up – since they are not a customer-oriented operation…. so 8.7 percent.
CPI High for Workers
Here’s the rest of the CPI – though for not-yet-retired people it’s a PITA to read this:
The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.4 percent in September on a seasonally adjusted basis after rising 0.1 percent in August, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months, all items index increased 8.2 percent before seasonal adjustment.
Increases in the shelter, food, and medical care indexes were the largest of many contributors to the monthly seasonally adjusted all items increase. These increases were partly offset by a 4.9-percent decline in the gasoline index. The food index continued to rise, increasing 0.8 percent over the month as the food at home index rose 0.7 percent. The energy index fell 2.1 percent over the month as the gasoline index declined, but the natural gas and electricity indexes increased.
Specific drilldown to answer “Where’d it all go???” looks like this:
It remains as Pappy always warned: “You can only spend it once.”
Biden’s War Party Spending
We’re not particularly impressed with the accounting practices of the U.S. State Department. Which said last week ” This $625 million drawdown includes additional arms, munitions, and equipment from U.S. Department of Defense inventories. This drawdown will bring the total U.S. military assistance for Ukraine to more than $17.5 billion since the beginning of this Administration.,,”
I don’t see much U.S. hype on drones, but the U.S. has a way of fighting today’s wars with yesterday’s materials and tactics. Inventory turns? A point both Russia, China and Iran are on to: Ukraine war: Kyiv region ‘hit by Iranian-made kamikaze drones’ | Euronews
As The Hill reported this week:
“Congress has passed more than $53 billion in security, economic and humanitarian assistance for Ukraine this year. Last month, $12.3 billion in security and financial assistance to the country was included in the continuing resolution to fund the government through Dec. 16.”
(Vote ’em all out! )
Seriously disingenuous of State to pander “More than $17.5″ ain’t it? No “accounting” for money is D.C. is there?
Unable to lead on energy, foreign affairs, innovation, or breakthrough social programs, we see the impetus for massive increases in Ukraine spending by the spendthrifts in the House as being about the only way they can bail the Biden economy out of collapse.
War has been – and continues – to be the “easy choice” because as Marine Corps Major-General Smedley Butler put it “War’s a Racket.” Depending on source, this was first spoken in 1933, but speeches and the book of the same title are 1935-ish.
Point is? Notice where America was on the timeline when Butler spoke: We’d just fallen into Depression and Butler could see what’s ahead. (War.) We are now in “wait mode” for this modern Depression to produce a similar herald of truth to offer similar guidance in this economic cycle. In the meantime?
You’re being stuck with the bill while democrats dodge Reality by running on strawman issues like abortion and Donald Trump – neither of which are on the ballot anywhere come election day this cycle. Bait and Switcher’s at work. The FTC should ban the party for deceptive marketing practices.
Don’t cross the Rulers of the Paradigm, though. They’ve put the bum’s rush on Elon Musk for talking “truth-to-power” about war. And you’re just a piss-ant in comparison.
Have a read of the Fox report Elon Musk suffers from ‘histrionic personality disorder,’ Politico writer diagnoses | Fox News. Just realize as of this morning, Google indexed 173,000 hits on the phrase “Elon Musk Denies…” How dare he talk peace, huh?
And the “hits” just keep on coming.
“Hits just keep on coming” – History
Whew – how about some left-field trivia on topic?
Well, many people (21 and over, ID please) first heard “The Hits Just Keep on coming” when the RKO radio stations (KHJ, Los Angeles and KFRC in S.F.) used a radio jingle/positioning statement with the phrase in 1972. Also, about that time, CKLW in (Windsor) Detroit was in on it, too.
As time rolled on, the group Far Cry came out with a song under that title. In 2018 Ray Manzarek and Roy Rogers did a rock-a-billy sounding Those Hits Just Keep On Comin’ – YouTube, too.
Long before this, it was in a movie (A Few Good Men, 1992) as well.
This is useful stuff to sit back and reminisce about. For it shows how a single positioning statement – repeated millions of times in media – augers into the mind to prepare us to accept that “The Hit’s Just Keep on Coming.
Right up to nuke-size.
See how operant conditioning has been perverted in media?
Helter and Skelter
Speaking of the hits just keep on coming: U.S. host Alex Jones ordered to pay $965 million for Sandy Hook lies.
Bet me: How many will be kicked out? The U.S. will take in some Venezuelans, expel others to Mexico : NPR
Prospects for nuke war in UKR not scary enough? Here’s an alarmist note to file away: Could the Fight Over Taiwan Trigger Nuclear War? | The Nation
Not on the ballot, but name marketing continues: Donald Trump’s Truth Social app to be added to Alphabet Inc’s Google Play Store after agreeing to content-checking policies (proactiveinvestors.com)
East Coast whiner-liberals might want to STFU and look at the new City of El Paso dashboard (scroll down over here Migrant Crisis (elpasotexas.gov)). Seriously, snot-nose elitist bullshit special virtue nonsense (but not in our Vineyard) crap has gotta stop. If you don’t want the “Abbott buses,” think about closing the border, fools. You haven’t even got a taste of reality, yet.
Living in the demented world: Dementia symptoms show up nine years before diagnosis as study finds ‘subtle’ signs.
New field of study. I call it “Fart Science” and I got the idea from Broccoli emits gases that could help scientists discover alien life – Study Finds. Fart taxes on beef and more, definitely its own chair in upcoming colleges and brainwashing camps.
Voice-cloning deep-fake A.I. is coming for us all note: Fake ‘Joe Rogan’ interviews the ghost of Steve Jobs.
ATR: A Million Dollar Idea
Do you know how many mechanics there are in America? Over 700,000 according to a story here (Growth in the Need for Auto Mechanics (chron.com)
“The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) provides a different picture. It estimates approximately 704,000 automotive service technicians and mechanics were working in 2020 and projects that the auto mechanic job outlook for 2021 through 2030 will remain about the same.”
Seems to me that the states which are stupidly jumping on the ban of any ICE cars by 2035 are (like it or not) are setting Biden’s economy up for even more losses as the Second Depression becomes clear. Not clear yet? Watch the housing collapse next year and how war is needed to create jobs.
Anyway, point is with 3/4 of a million people whose livelihoods depend on wrenching in some form, why isn’t there a national organization for reasonable people to lobby for environmental transition? Rather than this herky-jerky B.S.-filled sandwich of p0licies from people like Nancy Pelosi’s once-shirt tail relative, the gruesome Knew-some?
Writing my new book (Lifeboats – Homes that can Save You) and it’s all about the low-cost ways that we can all migrate our homes to a lighter energy footprint. There’s a track away from ICE’s, too – it’s by way of hybrids.
But the Absolutists in the (mainly war party) will not stand for evolution and reason. They want everything now, now, now – and fail miserably at second order thinking. With hangers on like lobbying groups and neoliberals who have changed their con, we are on the road to perdition and collapse because Sloppy Joe and Team Foo’s can’t articulate a migration path to a worthy future.
Well, given that, maybe a counterforce needs to evolve to fight off negligent absolutism. People in the auto industry who understand the risk of grid-only solutions to our future.
I know – too damn logical. BUT when we look at the data, review how we’re evolving our home (and vehicles) it’s very clear that we will have a progressively lighter footprint over time. But, a hybrid is the ONLY vehicle that makes sense in Texas. Tiny states (Dullaware, or Road Island) can go electric tomorrow, for all we care.
But don’t dim the lights or douse the A/C so virtue-signaling elites can skate on federal gas taxes all wrapped up in a thin coating of bullshit, please.
Life is all about balance. Dictates come from self-appointed dicks. This is not a petty topic. I’ll remind you when our present course hits the rocks. It may take a few years, but who are these people building brick walls to evolutionary progress?
Remember who told you social media is bad and crypto’s set up war among the monies… BTW – BTC is almost down to $18,650 as of click time. Like we said.
Write when you get rich and be right in the long run.
George@Ure,net
“Iranian-made”
The stickers say “Made in Iran” anyway.
I was just going to mention the Turkstream will be attacked next in the escalation and…
Russia Says Several Arrested in Foiled Attack on TurkStream Pipeline – Interfax
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2022-10-13/russia-says-several-arrested-in-foiled-attack-on-turkstream-pipeline-interfax
Next week is S/B crash week!
Got NO trust in U, in anybody else, govmint/popo/banks/courts.
NOBODY.
..hence trustless Money ! HELLO Bitcoin .
“Cyrstal Ships” campers – crystal ships..https://youtu.be/QehH-JWobEQ
never believe how much data/info can be stored& displayed in one of “those” crystals…said to be sourced from somewhere in the Pleiades system…
? Really think the “farmers” are gonna let the herd suicide themselves and contaminate their farm for thousands of years to come ?
Wonder – Russians got some new nuke clean up tech they be hiding under their ushanka’s?
But now’a days it’s like
07X BAM! The Future of Rock & Roll
https://youtu.be/JM-vOdIh8Ds
My guess is that there are two ways “correction” is accomplished.
1) “Wise Heads” make smart decisions, and these are implemented in a rational manner.
2) The system is allowed to collapse, and out of the rubble and violence a new and improved system ultimately emerges. (After much pain and death and loss.)
I guess there is also a third path:
Things don’t recover, and life descends into a permanent hell-world. (Not recommended.)
BUT! Insanity canNOT go on forever. Therefore, collapse or correction becomes the choice.
Koyaanisqatsi, man. Koyaanisqatsi.\
Correction WILL come.
It’s option 2) Much pain death and loss already incurred.
Blockchain and CBDC is a perfect option when nothing else is available/ has ceased operating altogether (“reset”) [its already massively dysfunctional and filled with money leaks, and pooling and delayed release of funds in settlement for the purpose of skimming interest ].
It’s easy to see that the establishment feels threatened by the real customer self service and instant settlement that crypto offers.
For the SWIFT settlement system alone. $8T of Nostro and Vostro money pools will be drained and no longer needed to collateralize settlements => no interest skimming on so called dark pools of money. Jaime’s got to love that. LOL. not.. and not financial advice.
But will correction come before or after the collapse? My guess is, they’ll sink the boat and float the new. – I have zero faith in those running this shit show.
My wild guess… is it will be after the collapse of the dollar,pound,and euro..I believe that the dollar, pound, euro etc.
Won’t be abandoned until we are like Zimbabwe or Argentina.. then they will step in confiscate everyone’s gold and silver like they did before.. start up a different banking system and print up a new backed currency or coin to replace the worthless paper and dump the federal reserve..or take on the brics and use the backed Juan or rubles. If life on the earth hasn’t been altered by the war of wars.. if that is the case paper money wouldnt have any value anyway even if it’s backed by a metal.. then food, clothing and skills..
In Greece not that long ago that was how it was.. women would sell their time and sex physically for a can of soup..the same way in Argentina and Belize…
Then in Greece they realized a secretary was still a secretary a construction worker was still a builder etc. And they bartered their trade in exchange for things they needed.. communities would have to pull together the same way they did when the continents were settled..
That was interesting. Went out to the koi pond a few minutes after five this morning.., opened the notebook.., no internet. Came back in checked the router.., reset the router.., nothing. Internet is down.
Well…, crap ! I held a trade overnight., and now I am blind.
Internet came back on a few minutes ago.., reset everything and jumped in. The Dow was up over 400 points ! I closed out both options.., up 16.5% .., and sat back wondering why the Dow jumped so high on bad inflation news. ???
.., but it was a reminder., that if you are trading make sure you have your stops in-place.., for just a scenario like mine this morning. Luckily, I was on the right side of the move.., but I just as easily could have been stopped-out for a loss.
The Dow is up 360+ as I post this…….,
And up 580 as I approve it lol
Internet fading in and out for days in southern Ohio. – talked with others in different parts of the country and some, not all folks, are having down moments too. I find that odd.
And trading ‘stops’ are easily seen by the big money… and run over. Been there, had that done to me, & don’t paper trade anymore. In the event of a huge market crash… nobody gets out alive with their money. To quote the WOPR… the only way to win is not to play.
“Big Money” rarely looks at the small players.., and I never ‘paper trade’. I never trade without stops in-place. I am up over 300% for the year. In a huge market crash., I will be either, on the side-lines or rotating put options. .., and then there is “The thrill of the chase”. – – Ya gotta play if you wanna win.
To each his own… beliefs. I’ve won more by not playing. BTW… it is ALL ‘paper trading’. You are trading paper… not actual physical goods. Contracts are paper.
Try going to bed with a $50k “paper” profit in your account, with Stops well in place to ‘protect’ some profit. Then wake up with a market move that bypassed your ‘stops’ and left you with a $50k margin call from your broker for immediate payment. Jubilee bankruptcy time. End of trading story.
I have a friend that that happened to.. he didn’t put stops in went for breakfast and when he got home he had made 65 grand.. tried to talk me into making trades with him.. then nothing.. three years went by and his son called me asking me to talk to his dad..he had lost a section of land his home his retirement account everything…
It was sad he ended up living with his daughter in a rented mobile home..
“Historically, it takes an average of 10 years for a developed economy to return to 2% inflation [once] the 5% threshold is breached,” BofA said. “Inflation will stay elevated for the next decade after years of underinvestment in energy, sticky wage inflation, and aging demographics.”
.., and
“The Fed is so late, it will probably break something on the way to reducing inflation,”
It’s all good as long as it’s the big guy doing it with appropriate 2%, and 10% tithing added in for funding club operations. Why so much concern if Dominion is tabulating the votes? LOL Remember that the NWO Chad Gore scam in FL was to get all you home gamers to denounce mechanically punched paper ballots.
Orange man bad has been impeached for much less…LOL.
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/quid-pro-no-saudi-arabia-says-us-asked-oil-cut-delay-until-after-midterms
Looks like USA the is way out front on the toteboard in the Bombs4Ukraine Telethon. Ringmaster Z. is before the cameras again today. He only has 10% of what he needs. Apparently it’s time for France and Italy to step up!
Meanwhile following Nasa’s successful silent, slomo Nascar-like satellite crash into an asteroid, Chinese media is extolling a science class for students streamed by taikonauts from the Chinese space station. Oh, and China is boasting the world’s longest high speed rail network.
Grab a hayseed with your favorite guitar. Big shout out going to all those patient Amtrak and Via Rail passengers stuck on a siding while a freight train lumbers past. Here’s DJ George streaming only hits.
Johnny Cash
“Waiting for a Train”.
Re: “voice cloning/deep fake AI”
Your tax dollars do offer some publicly available benefits. Here’s a link to PERSEREC: The Defense Personnel and Security Research Center.
https://www.dhra.mil/PERSEREC/Selected-Reports/
Re: “Hot CPI”
Shiver me timbers, break out the DQ treats! It’s been a day of snow flurries here. Thank goodness for natural gas. Mmmm, marshmallow roast?
These should be cheaper than a gallon of gasoline by December.
https://www.amazon.com/Stickers-Different-Patterns-Motorcycles-Windows/dp/B09ZTX7NMB
Awesome that… Back to the Go Go Bar for youse. LMAO the new meaning of WOKE!!
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/aoc-humiliated-town-hall-viral-clip-why-cant-you-be-more-tulsi-gabbard
I guess 8.6% + inflation is such great news that the dow is up 800. What is wrong with this picture. Who are they trying to shit?
This is what we call “running the shorts” – most people can’t stand to lose a few hundred in an account so it’s easy to squeeze people out – and this way, the pro’s can short from higher levels and make even MORE on the suckahfish
A tale of two states: Florida’s governor sent migrants to Massachusetts and bloviated and whined about it like a mini trump. Desantis wants to stick it to the libs. That’s the entirety of the republican platform these days, sticking it to the libs. Massachusetts governor didn’t enter the battle. Massachusetts willingly accepted the migrants and got them set up. When Florida was hit by a hurricane Massachusetts sent first responders to help Florida pick up the pieces.
It’s also worth noting that Desantis voted against hurricane relief for blue states, but now comes with his hat out to .gov. Last, why isn’t Desantis sending Cuban migrants from Florida to other states?
HA! Shifting seamlessly to DDS, I see. You lefties clearly fear DeSantis. Don’t you? And well you should.
Hey JAC:
I owe you an apology. You were right, I was wrong. ‘Doesn’t happen very often, but I admit it when it does. I’m sorry I questioned your Latin…
Can’t you answer your own biased questions with another question, who filled the bills with pork that DeSantis and others voted against?
The Bull in the Bill.
Come on sunongrass, or is that MJ? Quit smoking what you are toking!
The rich eastern states have money. Just fly the illegal aliens back where they came from, or if that’s not possible, just send them to Venezuela. It’s not that hard.
Oh , and pedo pete also said it the MAGA right takes over in November, the price of pharmaceuticals and medical care will go skyhigh. I bet Medicare will be going up 10%+ no matter who wins. What will the shitting resident say then. It’s already cooked in to the future.
Unfortunately..it doesn’t have a choice but to go up
I did get a chuckle over the report that the big fellas handle on tbe kids phone is pedo pete.. i am curious how he got that handle..
https://youtu.be/wMKIRuJd5GU
WW, Your lovely Republican Senators would not allow a cap on insulin, you know who butters their bread!
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/republicans-block-insulin-price-cap-really-gone-rcna42177
There’s them commie Democrats, giving Social Security recipients an 8.7% increase, what rotten overspending scheme will they invent next?
https://www.ssa.gov/oact/cola/latestCOLA.html
BIG PHARMA butters the bread,,, with margarine, causing heart disease, and athletes dropping dead from clot shots.
The RINOs side with the demon rats,, together they control both houses of CONgress and the White House but no no you blame Republicans,,, blind fish, you are
my insulin taking friends all favor Trump!!!
the demonrats are passing hundreds of billions [for] Ukraine and are getting under the table money back but could not spend a dime for a southern border wall. maybe a little money spent on US social security low lifes will garner some votes for them since we are so close to an another election,,, trying to buy votes, they are!
Durham boats are coming to win US,, nice melody from Mr Stevens,,, killdogs life long friend Dolan is to be on the stand today,,, real crimes that involve the FBI liars, treasonous actions but all you are capable of thinking about is some made up crime by some bad Sorass backed demonrat AGs
And the NARA never did anything about all the past RINO and demonrat presidents keeping their records,,, double standards and desperate measures driven by somebodies FEAR !!!
they are all really worried about some evidence ,, maybe some crimes by the past presidents? DID Trump declass some evidence,,, what a show,,, would you like some popcorn?
Did ya see the new lovely that ,, well ya know Tulsi,,, she should be a role model for you,,, time to separate the wheat from the tares,,, it is harvest time
What an interesting time , that we are living in,,, I AM so happy while most others are terrified
inflation, disease, nuclear war, no jobs, except walmart amazon drive up fast food,,, paying wages for kids but damn hard to raise a family on,,, but ole brother Darrell is dancing, I see better times a coming, but first, there is this little STORM in DC
Zippity do dah song,,, Be Happy song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bWyhj7siEY
Scaremonger, WWilson, it’s already going down, AFTER the wicked increase earlier this year for a failed dementia medication.
It should be dropping 50% of the latest increase, but it isn’t.
The Big 8 CKWL! #1 in Windsor and Detroit.
We used to listen to them back in their hey day.
Just a comment on your recording studio speaker selection from the other day.
Back in the CKLW days all the kids in high school wanted a set of Realistic Mach 1 or if you were looking for more of an east coast sound Boston Acoustics A150
Aug 2022,
The WINDSOR, ON City Council unanimously approved $100,000 for a life-sized statute of the late radio legend ROSALIE TROMBLEY, Music Director of BELL MEDIA Top 40 CKLW (THE BIG 8).
She was responsible for boosting the careers of musicians who would become household names, including BOB SEGER, ALICE COOPER, GORDON LIGHTFOOT, THE GUESS WHO and others. She became known as the “girl with the golden ear” for her ability to recognize a new hit track.
“East Coast whiner-liberals might want to STFU ”
I got a chuckle out of kammy trying to blame Trump over the border crisis.. lol send them all to Delaware, DC,And Martha’s Vinyard…since C and Mark are so sure that Cali has the answer they should send a few there to.. here on the wastelands the neighborhood I visit regularly has had a huge influx of illegals..the store I shop at closes at dusk because if the violence and crime that has erupted because of it..
Well, as both a military retard and on SS, it is well known that Medicare will go up at least enough to eat up all of any cost of living increase we get. Gray Fox
it always does.. well except the last time.. the last time it went up far enough I actually lost ten dollars
A.J.’s back with another “Why Files”. This time he takes on werewolves and dog men. Hecklefish is almost speechless for a while. Imagine that!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPpFFU9EMr8
And this is why the Sept CPI #’s are always rigged worst than the rest.
Soc. Sec. COLA calculations for next year based on this report.
Surely you must know this, Mr. Ure, but you can actuallly catch Bill Drake voicing “And the hits…just keep on comin'” on Sirius XM Pat St. John’s show. (It’s usually within 5 mins of the top of the hour….old DJ hot clocks come to mind to ID the station) He was another CKLW brat and worked in MI for some time as I recall. Pat’s one of the stars on the “60s Gold” channel also hosted by Shotgun Tom Kelly.
“also the day the new – higher – Social Security Payments lock-in.”
{sigh…}
Grasshopper, the government’s accounting system carries over to guaranteed benefits.
We will be lucky to get 5%, and even luckier if the increase in Medicare premiums does not completely erase any numerical increase in SocSec…
“Don’t cross the Rulers of the Paradigm, though. They’ve put the bum’s rush on Elon Musk for talking “truth-to-power” about war.”
Would that be the same Musk who’s now under investigation by the FTC and IRS?
We told Vlod he couldn’t negotiate peace with Russia until Putin was out.
Elon didn’t get the memo.
If’fn the Feds piss Musk off, I could see him tossing a couple billion into the midterms to thwart the Demons’ crooked plans…
I like that idea! Musk is smart, but I’m not sure he’s up to the dirty tricks the dems will play.
One thing both sides need to stop talking about is abortion. Regardless of your opinion, changing laws won’t do much for abortion rates, since they will continue – legally, illegally, or in other jurisdictions. Talking about it obscures important things, like making America a safe and decent place to live again, with plentiful opportunities, no wars, and a stable currency.
Race/sex is another non-issue. We are what we are and we can either live with it or deny it. That’s a personal choice, not on the ballot either.
Long before Musk was a multi-bazillionaire, he was a lumberjack in the Canadian outback. I suspect he knows a lot more about the real world than most people think…
burned his “jewels” will soon be. they are heating em up daily (Russian “carbuncles”) to render em nonoperational while flying over the ukranazistan..ya know that vital link/country in the middle of Pipelinistan – breshinkies & peanut farmers wet dream.
I would be willing to spend money on a decent plug-in hybrid(if I didn’t already have extra cars) – say up to $2000 on the used market. There are two mission profiles – compact, lightweight and streamlined for getting places and possibly carrying a passenger, and heavy hauling – like an extended cab, extended bed ranch truck(or a Sprinter van). Either would have to carry enough battery to be a significant component of total weight. The range extender motor would ideally be a diesel without the need for exhaust post-processing. I can imagine a two cylinder opposed free-piston engine with an integrated linear alternator immediately rectified to DC. That would eliminate any need for accomodating speed, and the motor could run at resonance(to the reciprocating mass). That could, and should be maximum efficiency. Perhaps some auto-engineer can come up with a reason this is less than ideal, but it seems pretty straightforward to me, other than the control electronics.
I see no reason for a plug-in hybrid. My Highlander uses a NiMH battery pack, which isn’t as happy as Tesla’s Li-ion pack. The “Battery” setting on the transmission shifter runs the motors as generators when you lift off the go-pedal. (IMO this is the way to city-drive. The Battery setting is worthless on the highway, and Toyota disables cruise control when the transmission is in this setting.) Between the “Battery” setting and regen braking, I have yet to significantly deplete the batteries in 11 months of driving this car.
Understand, a hybrid gets significantly better mileage than a straight ICE-powered vehicle, in town. It gets significantly less mileage on the highway than it does in-town. This is because it is underpowered by using just its IC engine, and hybrids typically use just the IC engine when traveling at highway speeds.
My Jetta gets 49.9/44.5 and will get ~45 with the cruise set on 90. It will also get ~42 while going 90 with a 2800 lb trailer on the back, and it’ll run like that around the clock. There is no hybrid or EV which comes close, and there’s not likely to be for 20 years. When they do exist, there will STILL not be enough electrical power to keep them charged-up.
Drive in the city, or especially drive local delivery? An electric or electrical-assist car is the way to go, for now (provided your delivery route is of less than half the rated distance of your EV.) Drive distance? Forget about an EV and consider usage and terrain if contemplating a hybrid.
If you find a $2000 hybrid, anticipate spending between $14k and $40k for a battery pack. Tesla uses Samsung 18650-30Q Li-ion cells — a LOT of them, and the same ones you and I can buy (‘cept Tesla doesn’t have to double-check to make sure the batteries aren’t counterfeit.) I don’t know what anyone else uses.
In theory, you could pull the battery pack and replace the dead cell or cells (just one dead cell dramatically diminishes performance, at least in a Tesla.) Few would have the expertise though…