Types of EVs

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With electric vehicles becoming the talk and garnering all the attention before the revolutions hit us, it’s worth gaining insights into the types of EVs hitting the road.

You must have come across different types of electrics in the market. Some are fully electric while some are electric with ice engines. So what exact categories do they fall into?

Electric vehicles are differentiated into three basic categories: Battery Electric Vehicles(BEV), Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV), and Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV). Let’s dive deeper into the world of types of electric vehicles.

?Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV)?

Popularly known as All-Electric Vehicles (AEV), Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV), are purely electric and entirely run by a battery-powered electric drivetrain. The BEVs are built without a petrol engine, fuel tank, or exhaust pipe, and the electricity that provides power to one or more electric motors is stored in the battery when charged by plugging into the electricity grid or at-home charging point.

Due to the low rate of discharge of lithium-based batteries in the BEV, the charge remains maintained for weeks even when the car isn’t used. Being zero-emission vehicles, the battery is charged via an external source of power such as a DC fast charger or AC charger. Since BEV solely operates on battery power, they might take a little longer to get fully charged. But at the same time, once fully charged, BEV typically delivers a larger range in comparison to others.

There is a variety of charging methods:

• An hour of charging, at home through a standard 120 V wall outlet typically generates enough battery power for a distance of 2-5 miles.
• AN hour charge through the Electric Vehicle Standard Equipment generates a cover of approximately 10-25 miles. While it can be done at home or at the service station, the equipment operates on a 220/240 V circuit.
• The DC Fast charger can charge up to 80 % of the full charge in less than an hour at a DC fast charging station.

Examples of BEV: MG ZS, TATA Nexon, TATA Tigor, Mahindra E20 plus, Hyundai Kona, Mahindra Verito

Hybrid electric vehicles (HEV)

The second more popular known EV, A hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) is powered both by fuel and electricity. A conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) when combined with an electric motor and battery pack; enters HEV. While the engine derives energy from fuel, and the motor derives electricity from batteries, the wheels are then driven with the rotation of transmission simultaneously by both the engine and electric motor.

The battery gets automatically charged through the ‘regenerative braking’, activating the electric motor, completely excluding the need for the drivers to observe the charge or plug the cars into power outlets. When cursing at highway speed, HEV tends to favour the ICE and is quite similar to regular ICE vehicles too.

?Examples of HEV: Engine, Electric motor, Battery pack with controller & inverter, Fuel tank, Control module

?Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV):

In extension, as we may say, Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle is a type of hybrid electric with distinct differences and can be driven in electric-only mode, switching the ICE off entirely. PHEV comes with the option of choosing the conventional fuel (such as petrol) or alternative fuel (such as bio-diesel), additional powered by a rechargeable battery pack.

PHEVs can run in an All-electric Mode, where the energy is derived from the motor and battery, and in Hybrid Mode, where both electricity and petrol/diesel are employed. The PHEV posses at the benefit of regenerative braking and also the option of charging through external sources of power. While the HEVs record travel of about 3-4kms before the engine is switched on, PHEVs can run up to 65kms before the alarm for e required assistance for the propulsion of the vehicle.

When compared to BEVs, Plug-in Hybrid Electric Cars can run through longer intervals as they have the option to steer by utilizing fuel station utilities. The fuel-saving capacity is notable when the consumption of fuel is 30 % to 60 % less in comparison to ICE vehicles with added advantages of being low maintenance.

?Examples of PHEV: Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid, BMW 330e, Porsche Panamera S E-hybrid, Chevy Volt, Chrysler Pacifica, Ford C-Max Energi, Mercedes C350e, Mercedes S550e, Mercedes GLE550e, Mini Cooper SE Countryman, Ford Fusion Energi, Audi A3 E-Tron, BMW i8, BMW X5 xdrive40e, Fiat 500e, Hyundai Sonata, Kia Optima, Volvo XC90 T8.

?Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle(FCEV):

Zero-Emission Vehicles that employ fuel cell technology to produce electricity and power the vehicle, Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles (HFCVs), also called Fuel Cell Vehicles. A fuel cell is a device that generates electrical power through a chemical reaction by converting fuel (hydrogen) into electricity.

The hydrogen refilling for these vehicles can be done at refilling stations in about 3-5 minutes, with the vehicles delivering a range of 300 miles. On a full refill, HFCVs can live up to a much higher range than a fully charged Battery Electric Vehicle.

From the emission perspective, (HFCVs) are contemplated as the finest move from fuel to zero-emission vehicles but the overall adoption and use are still at a nascent stage.

?Examples of FCEV: Toyota Mirai, Riversimple Rasa, Hyundai Tucson FCEV, Honda Clarity Fuel Cell, Hyundai Nexo.