Electric and Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles

Electric and Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles HIGHLIGHTS PROCESS AND TECHNOLOGY STATUS – Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) share characteristics that provide a range of benefits such as lower CO2 emissions (potentially zero for pure EVs); no local pollution; competitive operating costs, quiet operation; high acceleration; regenerative braking and other systems that help improve energy efficiency. Both BEVs and PHEVs have batteries that can be charged from grid electricity to provide all the motive power of the vehicle. While BEVs rely only on the battery technology for both powering the vehicle and storing energy, PHEVs have smaller batteries (and therefore reduced range powered by grid electricity) that rely on the use of a conventional Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) for topping up the battery during use and/or as back up power when the battery charge has depleted, thus delivering drive range and refuelling time equivalent to those of conventional vehicles. Volume manufactured BEVs and PHEVs will be available within a few years.