Types of EV

Most of EVknowhow's articles refer to EVs meaning a pure Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV), however, you may come across other types of EV called Hybrids (HEV), Extended Range EVs (EREV), Plug-in Hybrids (PHEV) and Fuel Cell EVs (FCEV)

Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV)

BEVs use electricity stored as energy in a battery to power an electric motor which drives the wheels. A BEV has no combustion engine and is charged from an external source of electricity via a plug socket. The battery can also be recharged via 'regenerative braking'; using the motors to recover energy as the car slows down.

Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV)

PHEVs have a plug socket and can be charged from an external power source meaning that for short journeys (typically 20 to 40 miles) they can run without using the combustion engine. On longer journeys, when the battery is depleted or when accelerating hard the car also uses the combustion engine to drive the wheels.

Extended Range Electric Vehicle (EREV or REx)

An EREV or REx is a type of Plug-in Hybrid EV that has a relatively long EV range (typically 50 to 100 miles) but also has a small combustion engine (in series) which acts solely as a generator to provide electricity to the battery to power the electric motor for longer journeys when plugging in to charge isn't possible.

Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV)

Hydrogen fuel cell cars use stored hydrogen comined with oxygen to produce electricity to drive an electric motor. There are significant draw backs in refuelling hydrogen vehicles and it is now widely accepted they have no future in cars and other light vehicles. There are more possibilities for hydrogen as a fuel for heavy trucks, ships and planes.

Full and Mild Hybrids

A 'Full' hybrid is capable of running only on its electric motor or only on its combusion engine or both whereas a 'Mild' hybrid does not have a sufficiently powerful motor to drive the wheels on its own and so always runs in combination with the combustion engine to provide enough power.

Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV)

HEVs or Hybrids combine a battery & motor with a combustion engine. The car cannot be charged from an external power source and relies on the engine and therefore fuel to run. Some hybrids use the combustion engine solely as a generator to provide power to the electric motor (in series) and some use both motor and engine to drive the wheels (in parallel).