{"id":7081,"date":"2020-08-18T13:14:18","date_gmt":"2020-08-18T11:14:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/?p=7081"},"modified":"2020-08-18T13:14:18","modified_gmt":"2020-08-18T11:14:18","slug":"hybrid-car","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/2020\/08\/18\/hybrid-car\/","title":{"rendered":"What is a hybrid car? A guide to PHEVs, MHEVs and more"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Hybrid cars are partially electrified vehicles that still use an internal combustion engine; whether it&#8217;s to drive the wheels or just charge the battery. Unlike an EV or BEV (battery electric vehicle) hybrids also have a petrol or diesel engine to fall back on if the electricity supply is dwindling.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">That makes hybrids a stepping stone to full EVs, and also means they&#8217;re cleaner than standard ICE cars, but with more range and peace of mind than a standard EV. Simply put, they&#8217;re a bridge between the fossil-fuel age and the new era of electrification. Buy one if you want to reduce your CO2 emissions, save fuel, dodge congestion charges \u2013 and, for a while at least \u2013 \u00a0potentially lower your tax bills.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In this article we explain the major types of hybrid car on sale in 2020 and explain what types of hybrid car you can actually purchase right now. What&#8217;s the difference between a mild hybrid and a PHEV? Keep reading to find out.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\">How do hybrid cars work?<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Hybrid cars have been around for two decades in series production: Japanese manufacturers have led the charge, and the Honda Insight and Toyota Prius were both launched within months of each other in the late 1990s. How influential these early pioneers have proven to be&#8230;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Hybrids cars in their various forms \u2013 which we&#8217;ll talk about later \u2013 combine the power from a conventional combustion engine along with an electric motor to propel the car and the result is either more efficent, more powerful or both.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><img class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/pagefiles\/84194\/1040x0\/electric_car_12.jpg?scale=down\" alt=\"Electric cars: hybrids are a stepping stone to full electrification (Getty)\" data-interchange=\"[https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/pagefiles\/84194\/480x0\/electric_car_12.jpg?scale=down, (default)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/pagefiles\/84194\/720x0\/electric_car_12.jpg?scale=down, (medium)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/pagefiles\/84194\/1040x0\/electric_car_12.jpg?scale=down, (large)]\" data-uuid=\"interchange-kdzujxus9\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Most hybrid cars have a petrol engine due to their relative quietness and refinment, but brands such as DS and Peugeot sometimes use diesel engines for higher levels of fuel economy at motorway speeds. At lower speeds, most hybrids allow a short period fully-electric driving with the engine taking over as the speed increases. Depending on the system, the electric motor then switches off, coming back on seamlessly when extra power is required, such as when overtaking.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The clever bit comes in the power control electronics, which juggle the different power sources. Most do this quite seamlessly, so the driver merely steers, stops and goes &#8211; there are rarely other buttons to confuse things (apart from an EV button on some full hybrids, to select full electric drive around town).<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The majority of hybrids also use an auto &#8216;box, so you don\u2019t have to change gear. You\u2019ll usually find a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) gearbox, designed to maximise economy and deliver torque or pulling power when you need to accelerate fast.<img class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/pagefiles\/84194\/1040x0\/what_is_a_hybrid_car.jpg?scale=down\" alt=\"Hybrid cars come in all shapes and sizes\" data-interchange=\"[https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/pagefiles\/84194\/480x0\/what_is_a_hybrid_car.jpg?scale=down, (default)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/pagefiles\/84194\/720x0\/what_is_a_hybrid_car.jpg?scale=down, (medium)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/pagefiles\/84194\/1040x0\/what_is_a_hybrid_car.jpg?scale=down, (large)]\" data-uuid=\"interchange-kdzujxusa\" \/><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\">What are the types of hybrid car?<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">A full hybrid is a car which can drive under its own electric power, petrol or a combination: an electric motor onboard is capable of driving the wheels under full e-power for a short distance, although most of the time the car will be driven by a mixture of combustion engine and electric motion. They are sometimes called &#8216;parallel hybrids&#8217;.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Examples of full or parallel hybrids include cars like the <a title=\"Toyota Prius reviews and news\" href=\"https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/toyota\/prius\/\">Toyota Prius<\/a> and the <a title=\"BMW 330e review\" href=\"https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/car-reviews\/bmw\/bmw-3-series-330e-2016-plug-in-hybrid-review\/\">BMW 330e<\/a>. Their batteries are typically small-capacity and they\u2019re optimised for mixed running in daily driving, rather than extended zero-emissions electric range.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>What is a mild hybrid car?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">A mild hybrid car is one which cannot drive under electric power alone; the electric part of the powertrain is only used as assistance, and as a way to sometimes cut emissions. You can read about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/hybrid\/what-is-a-mild-hybrid-system-how-work\/\">what a mild-hybrid car is in detail here.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>What is a plug-in hybrid car (PHEV)?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">A plug-in hybrid is often also referred to as a PHEV, standing for Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle. The name even makes it on to the side of the car sometimes &#8211; see the <a title=\"Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV review\" href=\"https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/car-reviews\/mitsubishi\/outlander-phev\/\">Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV<\/a>, for example.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><img class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/pagefiles\/84194\/1040x0\/047_outlander_phev.jpg?scale=down\" alt=\"\" data-interchange=\"[https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/pagefiles\/84194\/480x0\/047_outlander_phev.jpg?scale=down, (default)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/pagefiles\/84194\/720x0\/047_outlander_phev.jpg?scale=down, (medium)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/pagefiles\/84194\/1040x0\/047_outlander_phev.jpg?scale=down, (large)]\" data-uuid=\"interchange-kdzujxusb\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In a delightfully Ronseal fashion, a plug-in hybrid does exactly what it says on the tin: you can plug it in to charge up the batteries when you\u2019re at home or on a long journey This means you can provisionally start every journey with a full battery, maximising your chances of driving into city centres on silent and zero-emissions EV mode.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Examples of PHEVs include the <a title=\"BMW i8 long-term test review\" href=\"https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/car-reviews\/long-term-tests\/bmw\/bmw-i8-2016-hybrid-long-term-test-review\/\">BMW i8<\/a> and <a title=\"We live with a VW Golf GTE hybrid\" href=\"https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/car-reviews\/long-term-tests\/volkswagen\/vw-golf-gte-hatchback-2018-long-term-test-review\/\">VW Golf GTE<\/a>. They typically have bigger battery capacities to enable their longer electric range (typically around 20-30 miles today). However, recent studies have proved that many owners treat them as internal combustion engine cars, never charging them up. This is a really bad idea, as you have to carry all the weight of those batteries, but without the benefits in effiency they can bring. The result? Sky-high bills and fuel economy <em>worse<\/em> than a petrol or diesel car!<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">That&#8217;s what we found when analysing the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/hybrid\/hybrid-car-savings-and-running-costs\/\">running costs of our hybrid long-termers<\/a>, too.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong><img class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/pagefiles\/84194\/1040x0\/bmw_i3_rex_hybrid.jpg?scale=down\" alt=\"BMW i3 REX plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV)\" data-interchange=\"[https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/pagefiles\/84194\/480x0\/bmw_i3_rex_hybrid.jpg?scale=down, (default)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/pagefiles\/84194\/720x0\/bmw_i3_rex_hybrid.jpg?scale=down, (medium)], [https:\/\/car-images.bauersecure.com\/pagefiles\/84194\/1040x0\/bmw_i3_rex_hybrid.jpg?scale=down, (large)]\" data-uuid=\"interchange-kdzujxusc\" \/><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>What is a range-extender or REX hybrid car?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Yep, yet another category of hybrid\u2026 REX stands for Range-Extender electric vehicle, meaning the internal combustion engine onboard is only ever used as a generator to charge the battery of an EV, rather than to drive the wheels. The <a title=\"We live with a BMW i3 REX\" href=\"https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/car-reviews\/long-term-tests\/bmw\/bmw-i3-range-extender-2017-long-term-test-review\/\">BMW i3 REX<\/a>, Vauxhall Ampera and Chevrolet Volt are good examples of the genre.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">These range-extenders are also sometimes called a series hybrid (so named because the electric motor always drives the wheels &#8211; the internal combustion engine (ICE) is plumbed straight into the electric drivetrain, rather than the wheels on the road.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\">So how do I charge a hybrid car?<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Most hybrids are charged automatically without any intervention by the driver. Regenerative braking uses energy wasted during braking or coasting to recharge the battery, with lots of little micro top-ups during normal driving. Toyota has even started calling its models \u2018self-charging hybrids\u2019 to convey this to buyers.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The exception to this rule is a PHEV, which can be plugged into an electric plug to top up the battery: this can be done either at an EV charging point for faster charging or a domestic three-point plug if you\u2019ve got time for a slow trickle charge. Read o<strong><a title=\"Electric car charging stations UK\" href=\"https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/electric\/electric-car-charging-points\/\">ur guide to UK electric car charging infrastructure<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\">Should you buy a hybrid car in 2020?<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">You&#8217;re probably reading to find out if it&#8217;s worth buying a hybrid car \u2013 and it&#8217;s time to answer that question. The Prime Minister and Transport Secretary have announced that the sale of all new petrol and diesel cars will be banned from 2035 \u2013 five years earlier than planned \u2013 and the ban will apply to hybrid cars, too. Until this announcement, most expected hybrid cars to hop through the ban unscathed. That&#8217;s no longer the case.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">It&#8217;s important to remember that this ban will only apply to new cars in 2020, so you&#8217;ll still be able to buy hybrid cars from dealers for another fifteen years in theory. Of course, it&#8217;s possible that you&#8217;ll find them in stock at less and less in dealerships as we approach the 2035 cut off.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The ban is unlikely to affect aftercare for your hybrid, too \u2013 at least for the moment. With so many hybrid cars on the road already, and sales to continue for another 15 years, we don&#8217;t expect brands to suddenly drop their hybrid servicing facilities.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"author-name\">By\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\/about-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">CAR&#8217;s road test team<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"posted-by\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/www.carmagazine.co.uk<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/consultancy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>CUT COTS OF THE FLEET WITH OUR AUDIT PROGRAM<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/consultancy\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-5377\" src=\"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2020\/04\/nueva-ley-auditoria.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 858px) 100vw, 858px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2020\/04\/nueva-ley-auditoria.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2020\/04\/nueva-ley-auditoria-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2020\/04\/nueva-ley-auditoria-1024x682.jpg 1024w\" alt=\"\" width=\"858\" height=\"572\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The audit is a key tool to know the overall status and provide the analysis, the assessment, the advice, the suggestions and the actions to take in order to cut costs and increase the efficiency and efficacy of the fleet. We propose the following fleet management audit.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/consultancy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>FLEET MANAGEMENT AUDIT<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hybrid cars are partially electrified vehicles that still use an internal combustion engine; whether it&#8217;s to drive the wheels or just charge the battery. Unlike an EV or BEV (battery electric vehicle) hybrids also have a petrol or diesel engine to fall back on if the electricity supply is dwindling. That makes hybrids a stepping&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":7082,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18],"tags":[7],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7081"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7081"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7081\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7083,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7081\/revisions\/7083"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7082"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7081"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7081"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7081"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}