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Are plug-in electric cars and hybrids the same?
I’m trying to decide between buying a hybrid and an electric car. My wife is really interested in plug-in electric cars, and we can’t agree whether a plug-in vehicle is a hybrid or an electric car. Is a plug-in electric car and hybrid the same?
Bellina Gaskey · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
Great question! Plug-in electric cars are not the same as hybrid vehicles. Electric cars and hybrids are two separate things. However, if you’re asking about a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), those are the same as a hybrid.
There are three main classifications of vehicles that work on electricity; electric, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid electric.
At this moment in time, all
electric cars
are plug-in, which is why we normally refer to them as simply “electric cars”. Electric cars are vehicles that have a battery pack to store electricity. That electricity is then used to power an electric motor that turns the wheels. To be classified as an electric car, the vehicle must run entirely on electricity.Hybrids
are a combination of the regular gas-powered car and an electric vehicle. The internal makeup of a hybrid varies from model to model, with various ways that the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) and battery pack interact. This can be done through having the gas motor generate electricity for the battery pack, having a regenerative braking system that generates electricity when you brake, or by plugging the vehicle in when you’re not using it.This last option is called a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV). PHEV are hybrid vehicles, requiring gas and electricity to work. However, instead of generating the electricity itself through the gas motor or braking systems, the PHEV needs to be plugged in in order to charge from an external source.
No matter whether you drive a hybrid or fully electric,you need affordable insurance.
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