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What is the difference between an electric and Hybrid car?
What you need to know:
- The Hybrid car is cheaper to own and more flexible with no battery range issues which makes it suitable for long journeys as it can switch to the petrol engine while it charges the battery. Hybrid batteries are charged by regenerative braking and the internal combustion engine.
Dear Paul, I get confused about a hybrid and an electric car. Is there any difference? Enoch
Hello Enoch, an electric car (EV) is driven exclusively by a battery powered motor while a Hybrid car switches seamlessly between electric powered motor and petrol driven internal combustion engine.
An EV has lower running costs, zero emissions and almost no service or maintenance needs other than recharging the battery. EVs are smoother and quieter with instantaneous torque however they have range limitations during long journeys and would need (30 minute) public fast charging infrastructure to continue on a long journey. The user owned EV charger may need eight hours to fill up the battery.
On the other hand, the Hybrid car is cheaper to own and more flexible with no battery range issues which makes it suitable for long journeys as it can switch to the petrol engine while it charges the battery. Hybrid batteries are charged by regenerative braking and the internal combustion engine. There are some Plug in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) with battery packs that can be charged by plugging into an external power source.
Hybrid cars have a running cost of fuel, although it is significantly lower than the conventional petrol only powered engine.
