Electric vehicles now include cars, transit buses, trucks of all sizes, and even big-rig tractor trailers that are at least partially powered by electricity.
Electric vehicles fall into three main categories:
- Battery electric vehicles(BEVs) are powered by electricity stored in a battery pack.Battery Electric Vehicles, also called BEVs and more frequently called EVs, are fully electric vehicles with rechargeable batteries and no gasoline engine. All energy to run the vehicle comes from the battery pack which is recharged from the grid. BEVs are zero emissions vehicles, as they do not generate any harmful tailpipe emissions or air pollution hazards caused by traditional gasoline-powered vehicles.
- Plug-in hybrids(PHEVs) combine a gasoline or diesel engine with an electric motor and large rechargeable battery.Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles, or PHEVs, have both an engine and electric motor to drive the car. Like regular hybrids, they can recharge their battery through regenerative braking. They differ from regular hybrids by having a much larger battery, and being able to plug into the grid to recharge. While regular hybrids can (at low speed) travel 1-2 miles before the gasoline engine turns on, PHEVs can go anywhere from 10-40 miles before their gas engines provide assistance. Once the all-electric range is depleted, PHEVs act as regular hybrids, and can travel several hundred miles on a tank of gasoline.
Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs) Low-emission vehicles that use an electric motor to assist gas-powered engines. All energy comes from gasoline.Hybrid Electric Vehicles, or HEVs, have both a gas-powered engine and an electric motor to drive the car. All energy for the battery is gained through regenerative braking, which recoups otherwise lost energy in braking to assist the gasoline engine during acceleration. In a traditional internal combustion engine vehicle, this braking energy is normally lost as heat in the brake pads and rotors.
