What's the Difference Between an EV (BEV), a PHEV, an FCEV, and a Hybrid?

The electric vehicle landscape can be difficult to navigate, but the various types of EVs can be divided into the following basic categories:

EV/BEV: Because battery electric vehicles are entirely electric, they are sometimes abbreviated as EV as well as the more specific BEV. An electric motor is powered by a rechargeable battery in this type of vehicle. They can be charged slowly by a household outlet or quickly by a charging station.

HEV: Hybrid electric vehicles have both an electric motor and a gas-powered internal combustion engine. There are various versions, but the majority of them begin with an electric motor and then switch to a gas engine. Standard HEVs cannot be charged by plugging them in. Instead, the batteries are charged while driving by the gas engine and regenerative braking.

PHEV: Plug-in hybrid vehicles are hybrid electric vehicles that can be charged by plugging them in. This type has a longer all-electric range than a traditional hybrid.

EREV: Extended-range electric vehicles are hybrids that are powered entirely by an electric motor and lack a traditional internal combustion engine. Instead, they have a gasoline generator that can power the batteries and electric motor when needed, extending the overall range.

Fuel cell electric vehicles are distinct from other types of electric vehicles. They use fuel cells instead of rechargeable batteries to generate electricity through a reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. They must be charged at hydrogen charging stations.

EVs (Electric Vehicles) and BEVs (Battery Electric Vehicles) (BEV)

Vehicles powered by batteries are entirely electric. BEVs, unlike other types of EVs, run solely on battery power. These vehicles have no internal combustion engines, no tailpipes, and emit no emissions while in operation. Due to the lack of an internal combustion engine, the battery must be charged by plugging it in.

Close-up of an electric motor in an electric car's engine bay

An electric motor in close-up. Getty Images/iStock/monkeybusinessimages Plus
You can charge a BEV at home or at a charging station, and you can even have one installed at your home if you prefer. Standard charging, also known as level 1 charging, entails plugging a BEV into a standard electrical outlet. This usually provides three to five miles of range per hour that the vehicle is plugged in. Level 2 charging necessitates the use of a charging station and provides 10 to 20 miles of range per hour of charging.
BEVs can be charged at DC fast charging stations in addition to AC charging via a regular wall outlet or charging station. A BEV can receive an 80 percent charge in as little as 20 minutes when plugged into a DC fast charging station, depending on the vehicle.
It's natural to be concerned about range because BEVs must be plugged in and charging can take a long time without a fast charging station. BEV range has increased significantly in recent years, with some vehicles capable of traveling up to 400 miles on a single charge. Even the most affordable BEVs can travel around 100 miles on a single charge, making them ideal for city driving and short commutes. Longer trips may necessitate some advance planning depending on the BEV's range, but charging stations are widely available in most areas.

Electric Hybrid Vehicles (HEV)

The term "EV" is applied to vehicles that aren't strictly speaking pure electric vehicles because hybrid electrics were the first to enter the mainstream. These hybrid electric vehicles resemble traditional gas-powered vehicles with similar drivetrains, with the exception that they include both an electric motor and an internal combustion engine (ICE).
The electric motor and ICE collaborate, and the presence of an electric motor allows the ICE to be smaller than it would be in a non-electric vehicle.
A hybrid automobile engine. Getty Images/iStock/cipango27 Plus
In general, the electric motor in a HEV will turn on when the vehicle is turned on for the first time. During initial operation, the electric motor will typically draw on the vehicle's batteries. When the electric motor can no longer handle the load, such as during prolonged or heavy acceleration, the ICE takes over. The batteries can then be charged by the ICE. The batteries in some HEVs can also be charged through regenerative braking.
When not in use, the electric motor in a HEV typically operates in reverse, generating electricity to charge the batteries rather than drawing power out to move the vehicle. This can effectively increase the range of a HEV while also lowering emissions. HEVs, on the other hand, typically produce roughly two-thirds of the carbon emissions of vehicles that rely solely on a gas-powered ICE.
The primary advantage of a HEV is convenience. From the driver's perspective, a HEV is no different than an ICE vehicle. You still fill it up with gas like a traditional ICE vehicle, and the electric component is hidden under the hood and out of sight, with no driver input. The disadvantage is that they continue to use fossil fuels and emit significant amounts of carbon dioxide.

Parallel and Series Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles

There are two types of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles: parallel and series. The parallel variant is commonly referred to as PHEV, whereas the series variant is known as extended range electric vehicles (EREV).
The difference is that standard PHEVs have an internal combustion engine that is mechanically connected to the drive train, similar to a HEV or standard ICE vehicle, whereas EREVs have a gasoline generator that can power the electric motor and batteries.
The main distinguishing feature of PHEVs is that, as the name implies, they can be plugged in just like BEVs. Otherwise, they're similar to standard hybrid-electric vehicles. They still have an ICE and an electric motor that can work both together and separately. The battery in a PHEV is typically much larger, and PHEVs are frequently designed to run primarily on the battery, with the ICE kicking in to provide extra torque and range.
Parallel PHEVs are so named because the electric motor and the ICE operate in tandem. They are both mechanically connected to the drivetrain, allowing the ICE to work independently, the electric motor to work independently, or one to assist the other. Consider this type of PHEV to be a hybrid of an ICE vehicle and a BEV, with both systems capable of operating independently or in tandem with one another.

Close-up of a Hybrid Electric Vehicle's plug-in hybrid port (PHEV).

Close-up of a Hybrid Electric Vehicle's plug-in/gas port (PHEV). Boy Anupong/Moment/Getty
Some PHEVs can run for up to 50 miles in all-electric mode without using the ICE, while others use the ICE in small amounts all the time, making it impossible to avoid carbon emissions entirely.
EREVs, like standard PHEVs, are plug-in hybrids that use both battery power and fossil fuels. The difference is that EREVs are primarily designed as electric vehicles and do not include an internal combustion engine. Instead, a gas-powered generator powers this type of vehicle. The difference is that the generator can only produce electricity. It is not mechanically connected to the vehicle's drivetrain.
A BEV with an emergency gas generator is an EREV. These vehicles, like other PHEVs, are charged by plugging them in and running on battery power in most cases. The difference is that when the power goes out, the gas generator kicks in and powers the electric motor. Any excess power is then used to charge the batteries.
When an EREV is driven in all-electric mode, without the gas generator, it emits no tailpipe emissions, just like a BEV. They do, however, emit carbon dioxide whenever the gas generator is turned on. The catch is that most all-electric vehicles have a range of around 80 miles, with some models offering even less.

Electric Vehicles with Fuel Cells

Fuel cell technology is intriguing because it produces electricity without emitting any carbon dioxide. There have been numerous fuel cell technologies developed over the years, but the FCEVs available today all rely on a reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. Hydrogen is used to charge fuel cells, which then react with oxygen to generate electricity as needed. The electricity powers an electric motor in the same way that batteries power electric motors in BEVs, with the only byproducts being water vapor and warm air.
Because fuel cells rely on hydrogen to function, they must be charged with hydrogen on a regular basis, just as an ICE vehicle must be refueled with gasoline or diesel. The difference is that, unlike gas stations, hydrogen fueling stations are only found in a few California markets.

Minivan Engine HydroGen 3 Fuel Cell

Minivan Engine HydroGen 3 Fuel Cell Unreleased Arctic-Images/The Image Bank
FCEVs are only useful in parts of California due to a lack of hydrogen fueling infrastructure. Despite having ranges of up to 366 miles, they aren't suitable for long road trips because you can only travel half of your total range away from the nearest fueling station.
For example, if you lived near a gas station in Los Angeles, you couldn't go to Las Vegas for the weekend. While the travel distance of about 240 miles may be within your capabilities, you would be unable to refuel before returning home. Even if your FCEV had a 366-mile range, you'd run out of hydrogen somewhere in the desert on the way back. A long-range BEV could simply charge up before the return trip, whereas a shorter-range BEV could stop at charging stations along the way.

Why Are There So Many Different Types of EVs?

Electric vehicle technology has been around for over 200 years, but it only recently came back into focus and began to evolve rapidly.
The biggest roadblocks were always battery capacity and range, and hybrids were designed to bridge the gap between new battery technologies on the horizon and consumer demand for electric vehicles at the time.
Plug-in hybrids serve the same purpose, utilizing batteries and electric motors to help reduce tailpipe emissions without completely eliminating the internal combustion engine.
If the ultimate goal is zero-emission vehicles, which some states have already passed legislation to achieve, then pure electric BEVs are the way to go.
Some high-end BEVs already outperform many PHEVs and ICE vehicles in terms of range and performance, and advances in battery technology and efficiency are likely to obliterate that gap entirely.
Other zero-emission options, such as FCEVs, are enticing, but the infrastructure is already in place to support BEVs, whereas FCEVs are still a small-scale experiment.