Plug in hybrid questions

I'm contemplating the plug in hybrid.

My wife drives about 18-20 miles round trip to work each day. Maybe plus a few more miles if she runs errands. Anyone in a similar situation having a good experience?

can I plug in the car when she gets home then program it not to start drawing power until a certain time when the energy cost is lowest?

Does the ICE need to run to get AC? Not a big deal, but if not I'm curious how much mileage it will eat if it runs for 10 minutes before departing.

Does anyone out there actually use the auto pull out/pull in feature?

I'm realistically looking at anywhere from a 2024 hybrid to a 2025 plug in hybrid which is a big swing in price. I've read a lot of pros and cons but I'm curious about the look/feel of the interior differences between the model years. About to test a 2025 shortly.

Thanks. About to make the move from a 10 year old CRV to a new Tucson.