Electric vehicles come in many different flavors, from pure electric vehicles (BEVs) to gasoline-reliant hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), with all sorts of variations in between. Some EVs even rely on fuel cells or gasoline generators to provide electricity, rather than powerful battery packs.
What is the difference between a BEV, PHEV, FCEV, and Hybrid? The unifying factor is that every electric vehicle contains an electric motor to propel the vehicle, either alone or in conjunction with a gasoline-reliant internal combustion engine (ICE). While all of these vehicles use electricity in one way or another, only BEVs are pure electric vehicles.
Basic Segments
BEV, PHEV, FCEV, and Hybrid: The electric vehicle space can be difficult to navigate, but you can break down the various types of electric vehicles into these basic categories:
EV/BEV: A pure electric vehicle is a pure electric vehicle, so it’s sometimes referred to simply as an EV in addition to the more specific BEV. This type of vehicle uses a rechargeable battery as the power source to drive the electric motor. They can be charged slowly through an outlet in your home or quickly using a charging station.
HEV: A hybrid electric vehicle includes an electric motor and an internal combustion engine that runs on gasoline. Different versions exist, but most start with an electric motor and then switch to a gas engine. A standard HEV cannot be plugged in to charge. Instead, the battery is charged by the gas engine and regenerative braking while you drive.
PHEV: A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle is a variation of a hybrid vehicle that can be plugged in to charge. This variety tends to have a greater all-electric range than a traditional hybrid.
EREV: Extended-range electric vehicles are hybrid vehicles designed to run entirely on electric motors, and they don’t include a traditional internal combustion engine. Instead, they have a gasoline generator that provides power to the battery and electric motor when needed to extend the overall range.
FCEV: Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles are different from other electric vehicles. Instead of rechargeable batteries, they use fuel cells that generate electricity through a reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. They must be refueled at hydrogen charging stations.
Electric Vehicles (EV) and Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV)
What is the difference between BEV, PHEV, FCEV, and Hybrid? A battery electric vehicle is a pure electric vehicle. Unlike other types of electric vehicles, a battery electric vehicle runs solely on batteries. These vehicles have no internal combustion engine, no tailpipe, and produce zero emissions during operation. Since there is no internal combustion engine, the battery needs to be recharged by plugging it in.
You can charge a BEV at home or at a charging station, and you can also install a charging station at home if you wish. Standard charging is called Level 1 charging and involves plugging the BEV into a regular power outlet. This generally provides about 3 to 5 miles of range for each hour the vehicle is plugged in. Level 2 charging requires a charging station and charges a bit faster, at 10 to 20 miles of range per hour.
In addition to AC charging via a regular wall outlet or charging station, BEVs can also be charged at DC fast charging stations. When plugged into a DC fast charging station, a BEV can receive about 80% of its charge in just 20 minutes, depending on the vehicle.
Since BEVs must be plugged into a power source, and charging can take a long time without a fast charging station, it’s natural to worry about range. In recent years, the range of BEVs has increased a lot, with some offering 400 miles on a single charge. Still, even the most affordable BEV charging provides about 100 miles of range, making them ideal for city driving and moderate commuting. Depending on the range of the BEV, long trips may require some advance planning, but charging stations are available in most areas.
Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV)
BEV, PHEV, FCEV, and Hybrid Comparison: The reason the term EV is applied to vehicles that are not strictly pure electric vehicles is that hybrid electric vehicles first became mainstream. These hybrid electric vehicles are very similar to traditional gasoline-powered vehicles with similar drivetrains, except that they contain both an electric motor and an internal combustion engine (ICE).
The electric motor and ICE work in tandem, and the presence of the electric motor generally allows the ICE to be smaller than in non-electric vehicles.
Typically, the electric motor in an HEV is activated when the vehicle is first started. During initial operation, the electric motor typically consumes the battery in the vehicle. ICE starts when the motor is no longer able to handle the load, such as during long periods of time or in the case of intense acceleration. The ICE can then charge the battery. In some HEVs, the battery can also be recharged with regenerative braking.
When not in use, the electric motor in an HEV typically works in reverse, efficiently generating electrical energy to charge the battery instead of pulling out power to move the vehicle. This can effectively extend the range of HEVs and help reduce emissions. However, HEVs typically still produce about two-thirds of their carbon emissions, and these vehicles rely solely on gas-powered ICEs.
The main advantage of HEV is convenience. From the driver’s point of view, HEVs are indistinguishable from ICE vehicles. You still fill it up like a traditional ICE vehicle, while the electrical part happens under the hood and is not visible, without any input from the driver. The downside is that they still burn fossil fuels and still produce a lot of carbon emissions.
Plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs): Parallel and series
Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles come in two forms: parallel and series. The parallel type is often referred to simply as a PHEV, while the series type can be referred to as an extended-range electric vehicle (EREV).
The difference is that a standard PHEV includes an internal combustion engine that is mechanically connected to the drivetrain, like an HEV or a standard ICE vehicle, while an EREV has a gasoline generator that can power the electric motor and battery.
The main identifying feature of PHEVs is that, as the name suggests, they can be plugged in like BEVs. Otherwise, they are much like standard hybrid cars. They still have an ICE and an electric motor, which can work together or separately. The difference is that the batteries in PHEVs are typically much larger, and PHEVs are often designed to run primarily on the battery, while the ICE kicks in to provide additional torque and range.
PHEVs are referred to as parallel because the electric motor and ICE work in parallel. They are all mechanically connected to the drivetrain, which allows the ICE to work on its own, the electric motor to work on its own, or one to help the other. You can think of this type of PHEV as a combination of an ICE vehicle and a BEV, with both systems capable of working alone or in tandem with the other.
Some PHEVs are capable of running up to 50 miles in all-electric mode without using ICE, while others are constantly using ICE in small quantities, so they can’t avoid carbon emissions entirely
Like a standard PHEV, the EREV is a plug-in hybrid that relies on battery power and fossil fuels. The difference is that the EREV is primarily designed as an electric vehicle, and they do not include an internal combustion engine. On the contrary, this type of vehicle has a gas generator. The difference is that generators can only generate electricity. It is not mechanically connected to the vehicle’s drivetrain.
An EREV is like a BEV with an emergency inflator. Like other PHEVs, these vehicles can be charged by plugging in a power source and are in most cases battery-powered. The difference is that when the power is insufficient, the gas generator will start and send power to the motor. The battery is then charged using any additional electricity.
When the EREV is running in all-electric mode, there is no gas generator to run, and they do not produce tailpipe emissions, just like BEVs. However, as long as gas generators are running, they produce carbon emissions. The problem is that the all-electric range usually peaks around 80 miles, with some models offering even less.
Fuel cell electric vehicles
What is the difference between BEV, PHEV, FCEV and Hybrid? Fuel cell technology is interesting because it doesn’t produce carbon emissions when generating electricity. Over the years, many different fuel cell technologies have emerged, but the FCEVs available today all rely on a reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. The fuel cell is filled with hydrogen and then reacts with oxygen to generate electricity as needed. Electricity powers the electric motor, similar to how a battery powers an electric motor in a BEV, with the only by-products being water vapor and hot air.
Because fuel cells rely on hydrogen to operate, they need to be refilled with hydrogen at regular intervals, similar to how you would have to refuel an ICE vehicle with gasoline or diesel. The difference is that while there are a large number of gas stations, hydrogen refueling stations are only found in a few markets in California.
Due to the lack of hydrogen fueling infrastructure, FCEVs are only useful in parts of California. They are not suitable for long road trips, although some cars have a range of up to 366 miles because you can only drive half the total mileage from the nearest gas station.
For example, if you live near a gas station in Los Angeles, you can’t travel to Las Vegas on a weekend. While the driving distance of about 240 miles may be within your range, you won’t be able to refuel until you get home. Even if your FCEV has a range of 366 miles, you’ll run out of hydrogen somewhere in the desert on your return trip. To safely make the same trip, long-range BEVs can simply be charged before the return trip, while shorter BEVs can stop at charging stations along the way.
Why are there so many types of electric vehicles?
Electric vehicle technology has been around for more than 200 years, but it is only in the last few decades that it has regained the spotlight and started to grow rapidly.
The biggest stumbling block has always been battery capacity and range, and hybrids aim to bridge the gap between the new battery technology that is about to emerge and the consumer demand for electric vehicles at the time.
Plug-in hybrids fill the same gap, utilizing batteries and electric motors to help reduce tailpipe emissions without actually getting rid of the internal combustion engine.
If the ultimate goal is zero-emission vehicles, and some states have passed laws aimed at achieving this, pure electric BEVs ultimately represent the way forward.
Some high-end BEVs already outperform many plug-in hybrids and internal combustion engine vehicles in terms of range and performance, and advances in battery technology and further improvements in efficiency could close this gap entirely.
Other zero-emission options, such as FCEVs, offer an enticing alternative, but the infrastructure is more or less in place to support BEVs, while FCEVs are still a small-scale experiment.