What is different for a plug-in hybrid compared to a “normal” hybrid car?
Electric hybrid vehicles – HEVs – usually combine a conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) with one or more electric motors. For modern HEVs, excess energy from the ICE will be transferred to a generator to either recharge the battery or directly feed power to the electric motor. When accelerating, both the ICE and the electric motor are working together, so that a smaller ICE is needed. When braking, part of the braking energy is transferred back to the battery to recharge it (regenerative braking). For many models, the ICE is shut down at idle and restarted when needed (start-stop system). There are full hybrid vehicles, mild hybrids and micro hybrids, depending on the grade of electrification and the construction of the powertrain, and consequently the emissions savings involved. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles are different from “normal” hybrid vehicles in that they usually use a bigger battery that can be directly charged externally from the electricity grid. They are cons
