What is a hybrid electric vehicle
Well, on the one end of the overall car line-up, there are pure internal combustion engine vehicles. On the other end, there are pure electric vehicles. And, somewhere between these two ends, there are hybrid electric vehicles. So, what is a hybrid electric vehicle? And to which end is such a vehicle closer?
The answer to the first question is simple. A hybrid electric vehicle is a vehicle that has both an internal combustion engine and an electric motor. The answer to the second question is not as straightforward as just defining the hybrid as a category. To clarify, there are plug-in hybrids and non-plug-in hybrids. And this is what we are going to discuss.
Plug-in hybrids (PHEV)
A plug-in hybrid is a vehicle that you can both fuel as an ordinary ICE car and charge as a pure electric car. So, we can say a PHEV is closer to that end of the overall car line-up where electric vehicles reign.
Moreover, if on their start, the hybrids had very small batteries and allowed only AC charging, nowadays, they are much rich-featured. To clarify, now many PHEVs have much larger batteries (which benefit you with a longer all-electric range) and even accept direct current. Thus, the PHEV drivers can buy DC EV charging stations and enjoy superfast charging.
Non-plug-in hybrids
A non-plug-in hybrid, simply a hybrid, is a vehicle with an electric motor that you can charge from an EV charging station or any outlet. So, how do they charge their batteries? Either from an onboard generator (read as by the car engine) or through regenerative braking. However, there are some nuances here as well.
To clarify, there are two hybrid types – full and mild. A full hybrid can ride only with its electric motor. If their battery charge is sufficient, of course. On the contrary, a mild hybrid provides no such option. Instead, the only features of its electric motor are as follows:
- acting as a starter motor
- accelerating gas engine performance
- shortly shutting down the gas engine
So, full hybrids are still near the middle of the rope. While mild hybrids are very close to the end where you will find ICE vehicles.
If you are going to buy a pure electric car or a plug-in hybrid, it is time to think about the EV charging solution as well. In our EVSE shop, you can purchase an EV charger and even order its installation right in the basket.