Transportation
EV? PHEV? Or Hybrid? What’s The Difference?
While the world’s automotive manufacturers have yet to unveil flying cars, the industry is certainly making significant strides toward a greener future. In the coming decade, the highways will fill with fleets of personal, community and commercial vehicles driven by sustainable electric power.
How quickly consumers will move away from internal-combustion automobiles and slip behind the wheel of this green alternative is still uncertain, but in 2022, it is estimated that one out of every seven new cars sold globally was an electric vehicle. Clearly, the transition has begun.
As is often the case with social and economic changes, especially ones with such global ramifications, the change will happen in fits and starts as the technology evolves. The markets will have to adjust, infrastructure will need to grow and buyers will need to familiarize themselves with the quirks of these types of vehicles. The last time personal transportation underwent a shift of this magnitude, our great-grandfathers were trading their horse and buggies for a new Stanley Steamer.
Understanding The Difference
Many first-time buyers are still stumbling over the basic differences between the electric vehicles lining showroom floors. If you are debating a purchase or lease of an EV, you must first decide on which type works best for your lifestyle. Do you want all electric, partly electric, or occasionally electric? EV? PHEV? Or Hybrid? It is easy to wonder what is what here?
To help, we briefly broken down the basic differences.
Electric Vehicle
Look at any metropolitan neighborhood and it will be clear that EVs (Electric Vehicles) are becoming the primary choice of transportation for city dwellers who still want to own an automobile. The reliance on battery packs inside the vehicle and charged at home or at public power stations will dominate this form of personal, yet sustainable transportation. That is until technological breakthroughs create an even more environmentally friendly alternative or we completely move away from our car-based society.
A specific clue to this evolution is the number of EV manufacturers and models coming into the marketplace. They now vary from the small Mini Cooper Electric to sedans dipping into the realm of high-performance, such as the BMW’s futuristic i8 sports car.
There is also a growing sign that electrified vehicles will not be limited to the smaller classes. Several crossovers, SUVs, and full-size sedans are seeing their gasoline engines replaced. Volkswagen will soon introduce their retro VW bus, the ID Buzz.
But perhaps most surprising is the lineup of electric-powered pickup trucks now surging into showrooms. Once thought to be an anti-environmental bastion, the American pickup truck has arrived in two forms: Chevrolet’s Silverado EV and Ford’s F-150 Lightning. If an electric pickup truck does not show progress toward a greener world, nothing does.
The drawback to owning an EV is, of course, their current limited range and infrastructure requirements. Breakthroughs in battery technology and the political will to create a wider web of charging stations will make this type of personal transport a worthy option to the costly gasoline-powered automobile.
While EVs often carry premium price tags, they have lower maintenance costs. They are quieter and get better mileage (when calculating electric vs. petroleum cost per mile) than their petrol alternates. Travel beyond the vehicle’s range can be a challenge as charging to 100% capacity can take anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours, depending on the type and power source of the changing station. But their positive impact on the environment cannot be overlooked.
The Hybrid
Unlike a vehicle that is solely electric, hybrid cars are designed to use their gasoline engines to charge onboard batteries, which, in turn, drive an electric motor. Working in unison with the conventional engine, the electric power maximizes the vehicle’s mileage and efficiency. A hybrid vehicles do not rely on the electric infrastructure as they never need to be plugged into an external charging source.
The hybrid incorporates technology that has been around for over twenty years. It is well-proven and reliable. While a hybrid’s initial purchase price can be several thousand dollars above their gasoline-powered counterparts, they quickly balance the books with their exceptional miles-per-gallon ratings.
The PHEV
Unlike the EV, the PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle) uses its electric motor system alternately with its gasoline engine. Under normal operations, the PHEV’s motor drives the vehicle for the initial part of the journey, then the engine takes over, driving the vehicle as a traditional car. Currently, the average range for the first part of your drive is between 20-40 miles.
If your daily excursions are within this distance, these vehicles will never draw power from their combustion engines to carry you from Point A to Point B. It must be noted, however, that the PHEV’s batteries are charged from an external charging source.
Because its miles-per-gallon is averaged between miles traveled on electricity and gasoline, the plug-in hybrid is more fuel-efficient than the standard gasoline-powered car. But customers primarily consider a PHEV purchase because they deliver electric power for quick errands while offering the security of a conventional engine for long distance travel. Thus, the PHEV is perhaps the perfect middle-ground vehicle for most buyers transitioning to sustainable vehicle ownership.
