What Is The Difference Between Conventional Hybrids and Plug-In Hybrids?

Electric Cars: The Basics

For those of you new to zero-emission electric driving, we recommend a read of the following articles:

• Types Of Electric Vehicles: A Short Guide
• Should I Buy An Electric Car In 2021?
• Top 20 Jargons Used In The Electric Vehicle Industry!
• UK Plug-In Electric Car Grant 2021
• What Is The Difference Between Conventional Hybrids and Plug-In Hybrids?
• Electric Car Home Charging OLEV EVHS Grant
• Best Electric Cars 2021
• Electric Cars Range: What Is WLTP?

PHEV, BEV And Plug-In: Confused?

We at e-zoomed hear your frustration loud and clear.  In fact, we could not agree with you more.  The automotive industry should stop ‘engineers’ from setting the naming convention for vehicles.  The electric vehicle sector has been blighted by acronyms, better suited for an astronaut, than a mother keen to take her kids to school, in a zero emission and economical electric car.  But all is not lost.  We have made the impossible, possible i.e. simplified the jargon. 

In simplest terms, ‘hybrid’ means ‘combining two very different things’.  In the world of car production, hybrid is mostly used to describe two different and separate power sources, that propel the vehicle.  The conventional or traditional hybrid, sometimes simply referred to as a ‘hybrid’ or ‘self charging’, has been around for more than two decades.

For example, the ubiquitous, Toyota Prius,  has a conventional petrol or diesel engine as the main source of power.  However, at lower speeds, the hybrid vehicle leverages power provided by an electric motor and small battery, to increase fuel economy and reduce pollution.  But for all practical purposes, the vehicle is mostly reliant on the petrol or diesel engine for motion.     

Plug-in hybrid Electric Vehicles, also referred to as PHEVs, at one level are similar to a conventional hybrid i.e. the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle is also powered by two sources, a conventional petrol engine and an electric motor with a battery.  However, a PHEV has the ability to travel on ‘pure electric mode’ using the power from the battery for distances usually up to 50 zero-emission miles. Conventional hybrids do not run such distances on pure electric mode. 

But at the most basic level, the primary difference between a conventional hybrid and a PHEV, is that, in a PHEV, the electric car battery needs to be charged by an external power source (a dedicated EV charge point), and this is not the case for a conventional hybrid.  Hence the expression ‘plug-in’.  In a conventional hybrid, the small on board battery is charged by capturing kinetic energy from slowing down and braking (also known as regenerative braking). A conventional hybrid cannot be charged by an external source. So bottom-line, if you don’t see a charging cable and a dedicated charge point near the EV, in all probability it is a convention hybrid!

Also a PHEV has a much larger and more powerful EV battery size (kWh) compared to a conventional hybrid. The short trips to the local restaurant, gymnasium, grocery store, train station etc. can easily be made in a PHEV on electric mode, with zero emissions. In general a PHEV will have an EV battery up to 15 kWh, but some PHEVs even have a larger battery pack. Charging a PHEV is cheap and depending on the cost of electricity, a PHEV can charge as little as £1.27p to fully charge.  

• Note 1: The average cost of residential electricity in the UK varies depending on the region, supplier and type of energy used. An average for the UK is 14.40 p/kWh.
• Note 2: Not all EV manufactures make available the data on net EV battery capacity, and in a number of instances the EV battery capacity advertised, does not state if it is gross or net capacity. In general, usable EV battery capacity is between 85% to 95% of the gross available capacity.

• Note 1: SoC: state of charge

As an example, the IONIQ Plug-In Hybrid driven on the electric mode has a range up to 32 miles. No need to panic, if the battery runs low, the plug-in will simply revert to the hybrid/ petrol mode automatically.  The IONIQ PHEV has a range of more than 660 miles on a full petrol tank and fully charged battery.  The hybrid has a 1.6L engine and a 8.9 kWh lithium-ion battery.  Yes, the battery size of a plug-in is much smaller compared to pure electric cars, like the Nissan Leaf.   

A plug-in hybrid is perfect for a family that does not have the budget for a more expensive pure electric car, like the Nissan Leaf, but still want the advantages of electric driving, to include, lower running costs and lower emissions.  The IONIQ has CO2 emissions of 26 g/km and an incredible fuel economy of up to 248 MPG! 

e-zoomed view

The introduction of the conventional hybrid was precipitated by the need for automotive manufacturers to develop and introduce more economical and environmentally friendly vehicles.  The transition from conventional hybrids to plug-in hybrids was a natural progression in that journey, to developing more efficient and environmentally friendly solutions.  

The PHEV has been a successful step in this regards.  However, overtime, conventional hybrids and PHEVs will be phased out, as the transition to 100% pure electric vehicles (BEVs) gathers pace.  The scrapping of the government incentives for plug-in hybrids will further catalyze buyers (individual consumers and fleets) to skip PHEVs, as they migrate from conventional petrol/ diesel/ hybrids to pure EVs.

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