Difference between Hybrid Electric Vehicle and Electric Vehicle

The automotive industry is undergoing a major revolution in the method we power our vehicle. The hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) and electric vehicle (EV) are at the leading position of this revolution.

The fundamental difference between hybrid electric vehicle and electric vehicle is that electric vehicle relies only on electric batteries as energy source, while hybrid electric vehicle uses both fuel and electricity as the energy source.

In this article, we will explore the other major differences between hybrid electric vehicle and electric vehicle. But before that let’s briefly get their overview individually.

What is a Hybrid Electric Vehicle?

A type of vehicle (car) which has a combination of an internal combustion engine (ICE) and a battery powered electric motor to drive the vehicle is referred to as a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV).

In a hybrid electric vehicle, the internal combustion engine provides power to drive the car by burning of petrol or diesel fuel. This generated power is also used to charge the battery. The electric motor receives power from a high-voltage battery pack to propel the vehicle.

In a hybrid electric vehicle, the internal combustion engine acts as the main source of energy, while the electric motor acts as the sub-source of energy.

The IC engine provides majority of the driving power to the vehicle when rapid acceleration or high-speed is required, while the electric motor supplies majority of the power to the vehicle in the case of low load or low speed conditions.

Therefore, a hybrid electric vehicle typically consists of an internal combustion engine, an electric motor, a high-voltage battery pack, a powertrain control mechanism, and a regenerative braking system.

The regenerative braking system allows to regenerate energy during braking of the car and store it in the battery pack. The powertrain control mechanism optimizes the operation of the electric motor and the internal combustion engine depending on the driving speed, load condition, etc. This helps to improve the overall efficiency and performance of the vehicle.

Overall, the hybrid electric vehicles provide higher fuel efficiency and reduced emission of pollutants as compared to ICE vehicles.

What is an Electric Vehicle?

An electric vehicle is one that entirely powered from electricity. Therefore, an electric vehicle consists of one or more electric motors powered by a battery pack to propel the vehicle. For this reason, it is also known as battery electric vehicle (BEV).

Electric vehicles use rechargeable battery packs to provide energy for their operation. The charging of these battery pack can be done from charging stations.

Since electric vehicles do not use combustion of any kind of fuel, hence they are completely emission free, providing clean and sustainable transportation option.

Due to minimal wastage of energy in the form of heat, electric vehicles are more efficient as compared to IC engine vehicles. Another significant advantage of electric vehicles is their minimal maintenance cost due to reduced number of moving parts.

Electric vehicles also contributes in the development of modern smart grid by providing a decentralized energy storage solution, as they can be used for supplying additional energy back to the power grid during peak load demand.

Overall, electric vehicle is one of the revolutionary development in the field of both electricity industry and automotive industry.

After getting an overview of hybrid electric vehicle and electric vehicle, let us discuss their important differences.

Difference between Electric Vehicle and Hybrid Electric Vehicle

The following table highlights all the key differences between hybrid electric vehicle and electric vehicle:

Parameter	Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV)	Electric Vehicle (EV)
Definition	A type of vehicle that uses a combination of internal combustion engine and a battery powered electric motor to propel the vehicle is called a hybrid electric vehicle.	Electric vehicle is one that has one or more electric motors powered from a battery pack to propel the vehicle.
Source of energy	In HEVs, electricity and fossil fuels like petrol and diesel are used as the source of energy to drive the vehicle.	In EVs, electricity stored in batteries is the main source of energy to drive the car.
Driving system	In HEVs, an internal combustion engine (ICE) and electric motors together are used as the vehicle driving system.	In EVs, electric motors are used as the driving system.
Plug-in charging of battery pack	In HEVs, batteries cannot be charged by pugging-in to a charging station, instead they are charged from an alternator driven by the IC engine.	Electric vehicles are charged by plugging-in method.
Need of petrol or diesel	Hybrid electric vehicles require petrol or diesel.	Electric vehicles do not require petrol or diesel.
Drive train complexity	Hybrid electric vehicles have highly complex drivetrain.	Electric vehicles have comparatively simpler drivetrain than HEVs.
Pollutants emission during operation	Hybrid electric vehicles emit pollutants like CO2, chemical pollutants, particulate pollutants, etc. during operation. This is mainly due to combustion of fossil fuels in IC engine.	Electric vehicles do not emit any kind of pollutants during operation.
Fuel facility locations	In the case of HEVs, the fuel facility locations are fuel pumps.	In the case of EVs, the fuel facility locations are charging stations.
Fuel efficiency	Hybrid electric vehicles have higher fuel efficiency than traditional ICE vehicles, but less than electric vehicles.	Electric vehicles have higher fuel efficiency than hybrid electric vehicles.
Recharging	Hybrid electric vehicles do not require recharging of batteries, as they use IC engine to charge batteries.	Electric vehicles require recharging of battery from charging stations.
Maintenance	Hybrid electric vehicles require regular maintenance as similar to traditional vehicles.	Electric vehicles require less maintenance due to use of fewer moving parts.
Capital cost	The capital cost of hybrid electric vehicles is comparatively lower than EVs.	The capital cost of electric vehicles is more than HEVs.
Operational cost	Hybrid electric vehicles have higher operational cost due to fuel, regular maintenance, etc.	Electric vehicles have lower operational cost due to no need of refilling of fuel and less maintenance requirement.
Battery pack size	Hybrid electric vehicles have a smaller battery pack.	Electric vehicles have large sized battery packs to provide extended driving ranges.
Noise levels	Hybrid electric vehicles produce noise due to operation of internal combustion engine.	Electric vehicles have quitter operation.
Distance/range	Hybrid electric vehicles can cover longer distances	The distance range of an electric vehicle is limited by the capacity of its battery pack.

Conclusion

In conclusion, a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) is one which uses both internal combustion engine and electric motors to propel the vehicle, while an electric vehicle (EV), also called battery electric vehicle (BEV) is one which uses only electric motors to propel the vehicle. The selection between HEV and EV depends on various factors like your driving pattern, needs, budget, etc.