Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV)
A hybrid electric vehicle is similar to a plug-in hybrid, it has both a small battery and a petrol or diesel engine, the only difference is that it cannot be plugged in to charge.
Like conventional vehicles, a trip to the filling station is needed to refuel a HEV’s tank. This means owners don’t benefit from low electricity costs to charge the vehicle and have to buy fuel as usual.
The battery charges through regenerative braking or by using the internal combustion engine. The battery can be used at low speeds and then the petrol or diesel engine can take over as the car gets faster.
There are two types of hybrid electric vehicles – mild and fully.
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Mild hybrid electric vehicles (MHEV) rely on the battery and the electricity to work the car and can allow the engine to cut off when the vehicle stops using Stop-Start Technology. Mild hybrid systems are unable to create enough energy to power the vehicle using electricity alone. These types of vehicles can cost less than full hybrids. As a result, they provide fewer financial benefits than a fully electric vehicle.
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Full hybrids have bigger batteries and more powerful electric motors, allowing the vehicles to run on electricity for short bursts at low speeds. These vehicles are more expensive than mild hybrids, but in the long run, owners make savings on fuel purchases.