Types of Electric Vehicles

There are two types of plug-in Electric Vehicles:

Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) are fully electric. They have no backup gasoline engine, use no gas and have no exhaust pipe. They produce no emissions! BEVs run off a large, powerful, rechargeable lithium ion battery pack, and have legendary acceleration. Their engines are the simplest of all EV models requiring the fewest moving parts so their maintenance costs are the lowest. BEVs are safe, highly efficient, easy to drive, and their weight means they perform beautifully on slippery winter roads. The only way to fuel a BEV is to charge its battery pack using a Level 1, Level 2, or Level 3 (DCFC) charger.

Plug-in Hybrids (PHEV) have both an electric motor and a backup gas engine. Energy is first drawn from the battery, so for local trips no gas is expended and no exhaust emitted. PHEVs has relatively short electric ranges since they have smaller batteries than BEVs. For longer trips, their gas engine kicks in. PHEVs can fuel up both with gasoline at regular service stations and recharge their batteries at Level 1 or Level 2 EV Chargers. Most PHEVs cannot recharge at Level 3 DC fast chargers. Plug-in Hybrids are highly efficient, and save beautifully on fuel. But they do cannot boast all of the maintenance savings found with fully electric BEVs.

Hybrids (HEV) run off a gas engine, but are not true EVs because you cannot recharge their batteries by plugging them in. We mention them here because they get better mileage than most gas cars due to their efficient design and small lithium ion battery pack that re-charges using friction from the brakes.

The best way to understand the differences in EV models is to test drive the one you like, new or used. No special skills are required to drive an EV. They are  safe, smooth, quiet, very responsive, and easy for drivers from all walks of life, at all ages & stages.

Last updated February 26, 2024