There are four different models of electric vehicles available in the market place:
1. Full Hybrid
2. Plug in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (P-HEV)
3. Extended-Range Electric Vehicle (E-REV)
4. Pure Electric
Full Hybrid vehicles
Hybrid vehicles are best suited for those drivers who do a mixed cycle of driving however a significant element of stop start driving is beneficial in order to maximise brake regeneration. Driving range is not limited, but pure EV mode is extremely limited, usually only for a mile or so and at low speeds (typically below 30mph). Hybrids are often seen as the ‘half way house’ between petrol/ diesel and P-HEV/ E-REV
The full hybrid, like a normal car, offers petrol and diesel engines. They have small battery/motor which recovers wasted energy when braking. It also provides additional power on acceleration allowing a smaller more efficient engine to be used and provides 1 -2 miles pure electric mode at low speeds (10mph). You cannot plug this vehicle in, so its electric range is very limited but the driver does not need to do anything different to a normal petrol car so no compromise is required to move to a hybrid. Full Hybrids are aimed at mainstream conscious drivers and reflects the performance of a normal vehicle – petrol mode for motorways and petrol/electric for town driving.
Plug in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (P-HEV)
P-HEVs are effectively the same technologies as a full hybrid, but they have an extra trick – a larger battery, motor and an on board charger so they can be plugged in to an external power supply.
They can travel up to 30 miles in pure electric mode and travel at higher speeds than a full hybrid in electric mode (i.e. 60mph +).
P-HEVs can reduce fuel costs dramatically when driven in the recommended manner owing to the low cost of electricity relative to conventional fuel. As they rely in whole or part on electric power, their fuel economy is measured differently than conventional vehicles.
It should be noted however that longer journeys will impact fuel economy as it becomes necessary for the car to switch to petrol. The driver’s intended use should be fully explored to assist in making the right choice.
P-HEVs lend themselves more to urban driving conditions and multiple short journeys, because if they are plugged in regularly the first 20-30 miles can be carried out in pure electric mode. The more electric mode is used the more both fuel costs and vehicle emissions will be reduced.
Extended-Range Electric Vehicle (E-REV)
Extended-range electric vehicles are electric vehicles with a plug-in battery pack and electric motor, as well as an internal combustion engine.
The difference to a plug-in hybrid is that with E-REVs the electric motor always drives the wheels (never the petrol engine), with a typically small internal combustion engine acting as a generator to recharge the battery when it gets low.
Typically, these vehicles have a pure electric battery range of around 40 -100 miles before the vehicle switches on the range-extender to charge the battery and increase the range.This typically results in tailpipe emissions of around 20-30g/km CO2.
P-HEV and E-REV vehicles are best suited for urban driving bias but without range anxiety, can cover longer journeys as needed, with the E-REV having the greater potential to save costs due to the greater electric mode capability.
Pure Electric
Pure electric vehicles solely run on electricity and require charging from an external source. The vehicle must always have charge otherwise when the battery‘s charge is exhausted the vehicle will not run, hence there is a potential for range anxiety.
Range is typically limited to 65 – 150 miles maximum per charge but the battery technology is improving and hence the range is increasing. Some pure EVs can cover 200 miles or more on a single charge and there are a significant number of new vehicles coming to market that should be capable of exceeding this.
Pure Electric vehicles are best suited for urban driving, where zero tailpipe emissions have maximum effect on reducing poor urban air quality, however increasing ranges and performance are making them suitable for urban and extra urban mixed driving.
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