There’s a lot of confusion as to what an EV – an electric vehicle – really is. In fact, there’s a whole combination of different vehicles on the road which qualify as an electric vehicle, at least in part. Let’s spell it out in more detail.
In the purest definition, an electric vehicle is any vehicle which uses some form of electric motor to propel the vehicle forward. So that includes both hybrids and fully electric vehicles (sometimes called battery electric or BEV’s). Let’s outline some of the differences.
Hybrid vehicles
A hybrid is a vehicle that uses a combination of petroleum power along with an electric drive train. The most common and well-known model of this type in the US is the Toyota Prius.
Hybrids come in three basic types:
- Side by side. In a traditional hybrid, the gas engine and the electric drive work side by side in different ways. For many hybrids, the electric drive moves the car at low speeds, and the gas engine takes over at higher speeds, and also charges the battery. This is common of most Prius models.
- Electric assist. This is where the car is primarily driven by the gas engine, and the electric drive assists to improve quickness and fuel efficiency. A good example of this model is the Honda Accord Hybrid.
- Gas assist. Other vehicles are driven by the electric motor, but a gas engine is used only to charge the battery, in order to improve range. The most common examples of this are the Chevrolet Bolt and the BMW i3 with Range Extender.
Now there are a few variations on this basic premise. For example, there are versions of the Prius that are known as PHEV, or Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles. Even though they have a gasoline engine, they also have an electric plug to charge the battery. It’s kind of confusing at times, but vehicle manufacturers have tried a variety of combinations to fit people’s preferred driving style, so ultimately you have a lot of choices.
Battery Electric vehicles
In battery electric vehicles (or BEV’s), the gasoline engine has been eliminated entirely. That is, the vehicle is ALL battery. These cars do not, and will not ever, use gasoline or diesel. They are propelled only by an electric motor and connected battery. All EV owners are given a basic charger when they purchase the vehicle; however, larger capacity chargers are often purchased and installed by BEV owners to charge at home. Of course, the most well-known example of a BEV is a Tesla, where all models they sell are BEV only. But there are others, including the Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Bolt.
It’s easy to see the big difference between hybrids and battery electric vehicles; however, the subtleties among hybrids will take some research if you wish to know exactly which kind of hybrid you’re looking at. But all of these vehicles use some type of electric propulsion to get you around town.