You may already be well aware that the UK is one of the fastest-growing markets for low-emission vehicles in the world. It’s therefore no surprise that hybrid car sales are booming!
The technical jargon commonly used to identify hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars however can be somewhat confusing. If you’ve ever wondered “What is a plug-in hybrid, and how do hybrid cars work?”, just chill, as all is about to be revealed…
You may have noticed the acronyms HEV hybrid and PHEV hybrid used to describe a particular type of car. While both types of vehicles will get you from A to B, there are a number of functional differences between a full hybrid and a plug-in hybrid car. Vehicle size and cost, and the purpose of their electric batteries, are the primary factors to consider when comparing and differentiating between the two. You’ll also need to bear in mind, that the acronym definitions additionally include mild hybrid and full hybrid options.
Before you can understand how do hybrid cars work, it’s crucial to know the basics:
HEV stands for hybrid electric vehicle. The mild hybrid version features an electric motor alongside a dedicated battery that supports it. The hybrid part is solely used to power the car’s heating and air conditioning systems, and the stereo. When accelerating from a full stop, the hybrid element may also moderately boost the internal combustion engine (ICE), or gas-powered engine.
Full HEV cars drive just like an electric car at slower speeds, while at higher speeds they work more like a petrol or diesel powered car. In some full HEV cars, the electric motor and ICE are designed to work independently. Other models benefit from extra power, as the electric motor and ICE work together.
The battery of mild and full HEV cars is recharged through regenerative braking, and by their internal combustion engine. Because they use less petrol than standard cars, hybrid vehicles are more fuel efficient. Much of the fuel savings are lost however, if you drive a HEV that has a diesel engine, as combining this engine with an electric motor is more complicated and expensive.
PHEV is the acronym used to identify plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. This type of car is plugged directly into an external power source to recharge its electric battery. The PHEV’s battery can be recharged at home or at a public charging station.
What Is A Hybrid Car And How Do Hybrid Cars Work?
Invented by Jacob Lohner and Ferdinand Porsche in Austria, in 1900, the hybrid car is an automobile that is designed to use more than one means of propulsion. A combination of traditional internal combustion engine and one or more electric motors power the HEV.
Unfortunately, the ahead-of-its-time invention wasn’t greatly received at its inception. It took a hundred years before the world’s first production hybrid car – Toyota’s Prius hybrid – was presented to the people of Japan in 1997, and the rest of the world in 2001.
Although a combination of traditional internal combustion engine and one or more electric motors powers the HEV, other technologies, like Continuously Variable Transmission (CTV), are also employed to optimise engine speeds and gear changes for maximum efficiency in hybrid cars. Because this type of vehicle burns less fuel than normal petrol/diesel cars, they are considered to be more environmentally friendly, and more efficient and cheaper to run. The car tax is also less costly for hybrid vehicles, as they have lower greenhouse gas emissions.
Other technical jargon that you need to understand, when figuring out how do hybrid cars work, includes the four main types of hybrid car…
The series hybrid uses an electric motor to drive the wheels, and a petrol engine to generate power that produces the electricity, and also charges the battery. Two power sources can be used together, or independently to drive or provide battery power for short distances. When the battery gets low, or the car needs more power for faster speeds, the series hybrid’s petrol engine kicks in.
The parallel hybrid boasts a coupled petrol engine and electric motor that work in tandem. Whilst the petrol engine does most of the work, the electric motor does provide a boost of power. Unlike the series hybrid, this car’s petrol engine powers the car instead of solely generating electricity.
As the name suggests, the series-parallel hybrid is a combination of the previously mentioned two main types. This vehicle can be driven purely by petrol, or purely by electricity, or a combination of the two. The petrol engine is the car’s primary power source on open roads that allow you to drive at speed, with the electric motor on hand to provide a boost during overtaking. The battery takes over at low speeds, and in slower city traffic.
If you're looking for a fully electric car, check out the Porsche Taycan Turbo. With an impressive 671bhp, Porsche's first completely electric-powered car powers a lot more punch than the Toyota Prius Hybrid - or most hybrids for that matter.
What Is A Plug-in Hybrid?
The last but not least main type of hybrid car is the answer to the question “What is a plug-in hybrid?”
A plug-in hybrid car (or PHEV) is a modern configuration that bridges the gap between the traditional and conventional gas powered vehicle and a battery electric car. The larger than in standard hybrids battery can be charged by the petrol engine, or be plugged into an external power source, like a charging station. The pure electric range is typically 20-30 miles.
Summary
With sales of new petrol and diesel vehicles being banned in 2030, hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars offer you an opportunity to get to grips with driving a more environmentally friendly car in the short-term, prior to investing in fully electric. A car that feature traditional power combined with modern electric efficiency can save you money, and help you do your bit for the planet.
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