BEV vs PHEV vs HEV: What is the difference

The rise in popularity of electric vehicles (EVs) has grown rapidly over the past 4-5 years. With stalwarts of the EV market such as Tesla driving demand - along with newcomers like BYD and Lucid, who also making waves in the European markets.

But, what are the different type of electric vehicles available? This is a question that can be confusing, as there are several vehicle types within this segment.

Although EVs are a smaller proportion of the automotive market, they continue to take market share away from more traditional vehicles. As such, it is important to get an understanding of the different types and their architecture.

Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV)

A BEV is solely powered by electricity and there is no combustion engine involved. Think the Tesla Model 3 or the BMW i4.

As these types of vehicles rely solely on the power distributed by the battery, they tend to have larger and more heavier batteries. Their capacity ranges from 40kW to 80kW, but as technology improves there are now some capable of delivering 200+kW

The average range of a BEV is somewhere between 100-300 miles. Often shorter than HEVs and PHEVs as they are not solely dependent on the battery (more on that to come).

The best part about a BEV is their environmental impact. Given they are running purely on electricity, they do not expel emissions when driving. So, when in use, they are the more environmentally friendly vehicle.

Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV)

A PHEV can derive its power from both a battery and a combustion engine. They are like a BEV in that they can recharge their electric motor via external power supply. At the same time, they also have a ICE.

The battery and the ICE share powering the vehicle. With the onboard computer calculating the best times to depend on the different power sources. You can also manually choose when driving.

Their batteries are not as large as those on a BEV as they have the ICE to rely on as well once the battery has run out of charge. However, they are still heavier than the average ICE powered car. Which, once you have switched to the ICE, can affect the fuel efficiency of the vehicle.

Vehicles which use this technology include variants of the Hyundai Tucson and others. These are seen as a stepping stone by many, when trying to make the switch to fully EV.

Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV)

The HEVs have been around the longest within the hybrid vehicle segment. They are also the most common. Like the PHEV, they also have the ability to run on electricity provided by a battery, but also have a internal combustion engine in place as well.

Unlike the PHEV, these types of vehicles are not able to recharge via an external source. Instead, they capture the energy used when braking and decelerating to charge the battery. Regenerative braking as it is sometimes called.

When a HEV first starts, it uses electric power. The onboard computer, like the PHEV will then determine when the car will use fuel or electric power.

This means that range anxiety is not a problem with HEVs, as if the electric power runs out, you have the ICE as a back-up. Of course, the negatives include not being able to manually charge your car, and that it still suffers from harmful emissions.

The most famous HEV is the Toyota Prius.

Should I buy BEV, PHEV or HEV?

When it comes down to deciding on which type of EV you would like to move to, I’m afraid the answer is a very unsatisfactory ‘it depends’.

The needs and preferences of each person are different, so the pros and cons of each vehicle should be considered very closely.

If your main goal is to drive a vehicle with the best environmentally friendly outcomes, then BEVs may be your best option.

Should you like the idea of the BEV, but want the longer-range stability offered by ICE, then a PHEV is a good option. You can balance the usage of electric and fossil fuels much better.

Finally, if you are unsure about making the leap to EVs and want something without the need to charge and worry about the range your car can reach, HEVs are a good starter. Once you are used to these, you could look to transition to a more electric-based form of power later on.