Electric Vehicle Types
A Brief Overview of EV Options
At Berlin City EV, we want to make it easier than ever to find an electric vehicle that’s right for you. Through our Berlin City dealerships, we offer electric vehicles from Lexus, Toyota, Honda, Kia, Nissan, and Ford, as well as those from the Chevy Buick GMC and Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram families. Explore highly ranked vehicles like the Ford Mustang Mach-E, Chevy Bolt, Kia EV6, Nissan Leaf, and more! Keep reading to learn more about the different types of electric vehicles (general EV, BEV, HEV, PHEV, FCEV) and how to best choose the right one for you. Feel free to contact us with any questions that you may have or to schedule a test drive at your local Berlin City dealership!
Electric Vehicle Types
You may see electric vehicles referred to in a variety of ways, whether it's EV, BEV, HEV, PHEV, or FCEV, they all represent vehicles with electric capabilities. Keep reading to dive deeper into each kind of electric vehicle type, and learn more about what differentiates them from each other.
EV
EV, or Electric Vehicle, is a general umbrella term for vehicles that get their power from motors that utilize batteries charged with electricity. You may see leading car manufacturers use this term for stand-alone models or for models that offer a trim featuring an electric motor.
BEV
BEV stands for “Battery-Powered Electric Vehicle”. This type only uses its electric motor(s) for propulsion. This means that they don’t have a traditional combustion engine that uses gasoline. BEV is really the same thing as a fully electric vehicle, so you will usually see the acronym “EV” more than you would “BEV”. You’ll also notice that both fully electric vehicles and BEVs don’t have tailpipes because they produce no emissions from gasoline.
HEV
HEV or Hybrid Electric Vehicles utilize both an internal combustion engine as well as an electric motor. Meaning that they can run on both gasoline and electrically charged batteries. Hybrids will use regenerative braking technology to retrieve and store electric energy to charge its battery. HEVs usually have very high fuel efficiency or mpg ratings, this is because they can rely on their battery power to limit the amount of gas required by their internal combustion engine.
PHEV
PHEV literally stands for “Plug-in Electric Vehicle”, but this acronym solely refers to plug-in hybrids. PHEVs plug into power outlets to charge their batteries but they also utilize a gasoline engine when their battery power is gone. A PHEV is a kind of hybrid but is more specific in terms of where it gets its battery power from. PHEVs can travel up to 40 miles just on electric power, whereas standard HEVs will often only be able to do a fraction of that.
MHEV
MHEV stands for Mild-Hybrid Electric Vehicle. The goal of a MHEV is to limit the load on the internal combustion engine and ultimately improve the vehicle’s gas mileage. A MHEV may use a small battery pack as well as regenerative braking technology to reduce overall fuel consumption. It is important to note that mild-hybrids are vehicles that are electrically assisted, not electrically powered. A MHEV can be 20% more efficient than a standard vehicle without this specific powertrain.
FCEV
FCEV means Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle. FCEVs run on compressed hydrogen, but they are limited in availability except in California due to inadequate supporting infrastructure elsewhere. Fueling a FCEV is similar to using a gas station for traditional combustion engines which means this fuel source would require stations across the United States. It will take more time before FCEVs are commonly used outside of California.
What Electric Vehicle type is right for me?
You should consider a few things before deciding on what kind of EV you want to get. You should think about what you plan on using your vehicle for, this will help determine how far you plan on going between charges or how reliant you will be on traditional fuel sources. It may also be helpful to think about what kind of EV resources are most readily available near you.
Are there publically available charging stations near where you live? Do you have a location where a home charging station could be installed? Do you want to slowly shift to full electric power or do you want to convert all at once? Your lifestyle and needs can help determine which EV is right for you.
Electric Vehicle Type
FAQs
You can get EVs in a variety of shapes and sizes. The Ford F150 Lightning is an electric-powered truck, the Kia EV6 is an SUV, or you can choose a sedan like the Honda Accord or Toyota Camry Hybrids.
Not only can EVs be charged in your home with a plug-in or charging station, but you charge them in public wherever there is capability, at the store, at work, or in a parking garage. More and more public charging stations are being introduced across the country.
FCEVs are not widely available outside of California as they require adequate infrastructure to ensure that there are enough places to fuel this kind of vehicle.
Regenerative braking is a way of accumulating electric power by collecting the kinetic energy used by slowing down a vehicle and storing it. It can then be used to help power the vehicle without using gasoline.
No, the purpose of a mild-hybrid is to assist the vehicle and limit fuel consumption. They are categorized as electrically “assisted” vehicles.
The acronym BEV and EV can be used interchangeably when referring to a specific model. You will see “EV” used more frequently to refer to fully electric vehicles.
Hybrids utilize both electric power (stored in batteries) as well as traditional fuel. Depending on the hybrid, you can charge your battery over time through regenerative braking or by plugging your hybrid into an outlet or charging station.
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