Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle · PHEV

Two ways to move, one plug and one tank

A plug-in hybrid pairs a battery you charge at home with a combustion engine for everything beyond. Pick a mode, drag to orbit the car, and watch where the energy goes.

Electricity Fuel Mechanical drive

    CHGECOPWR Power meter
    Battery charge78%
    Fuel64%
    Electric range left*37km
    EngineOff
    MotorOff
    BatteryIdle

    Charge-depleting, then charge-sustaining

    How far on the plug?

    A PHEV starts the day on grid electricity. Drive past its electric range and it quietly becomes an ordinary hybrid. Set a range and a day's distance to see the split. Toy model

    On battery50km
    On fuel40km
    Electric share56%

    Battery charge through the day

    Shaded by what is moving the car.

    Electric share by daily distance

    Short days are all-electric; long days dilute it.

    Assumes a full battery each morning, no top-up during the day, and the engine staying off until the battery reaches its reserve. Real cars blend: many start the engine early for hard acceleration, high speed or cabin heat.

    The electrified family

    Where a PHEV sits

    It is the only one of the four that carries both a charge port and a fuel tank, which is exactly why it can do short trips on electricity and long trips without planning charging stops.

    Compare Petrol / dieselICE HybridHEV Plug-in hybridPHEV ElectricBEV
    EngineYesYesYesNo
    Plugs inNoNoYesYes
    Battery size
    Electric-only drivingNoneBrief, at low speedEveryday trips within its rangeAll of it
    Refills atFuel pumpFuel pumpPlug and fuel pumpPlug

    Terms of art

    The words on the spec sheet

    Six terms that come up whenever PHEVs are reviewed, rated or sold.

    Charge-depleting
    The car runs mainly on its battery, spending the grid electricity it was charged with. Battery charge falls as you drive.
    Charge-sustaining
    Once the battery hits its reserve, the car drives like a conventional hybrid, burning fuel and holding the charge roughly level.
    Regenerative braking
    The motor works as a generator while slowing the car, turning some of its momentum back into stored charge.
    On-board charger
    Converts AC from a wall socket or public AC charger into DC the battery can store. Its rating caps how fast AC charging can go.
    Inverter
    Turns the battery's DC into the AC the traction motor needs, and runs the conversion in reverse during regeneration.
    Utility factor
    The share of total distance driven on electricity. It depends on electric range and how far you go between charges, as in the model above.