What Type of Electric Vehicles Are There?

As the popularity of Electric Vehicles (EVs) continues to grow nationwide, shoppers have a variety of options to consider. Here, we've provided a summary of the most common types of EVs.

Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs)

When people talk about EVs, they're typically referring to Battery Electric Vehicles. These fully electric vehicles do not rely on gasoline engines and instead run on energy from rechargeable battery packs. BEVs are considered zero-emission vehicles since they don't produce harmful tailpipe emissions or contribute to air pollution like traditional gas-powered cars.

Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs)

Hybrid Electric Vehicles combine a gas-powered engine with an electric motor. They can recharge their battery through regenerative braking, which recovers energy that would otherwise be lost as heat during braking. This energy is then used to assist the gas engine during acceleration.

Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs)

Like HEVs, Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles use both an engine and an electric motor and can recharge their battery through regenerative braking. However, PHEVs typically have larger batteries and can also be plugged into the grid to recharge. They can travel several dozen miles on electric power alone before the gas engine kicks in, allowing them to operate like traditional hybrids when the battery runs out.