Whats a “Partial Zero Emission Vehicle” (Partial ZEV, or PZEV)?
A typical hybrid-electric vehicle cannot be plugged in to the utility grid, but instead gets all of its electrical energy onboard from gasoline. It may be able to travel some distance without starting its gasoline engine, running solely on electrical power; however, the source of that power ultimately traces back to gasoline. It is possible to build a “plug-in” or “grid-connected” hybrid that can recharge from the electrical utility grid as well as from its gasoline engine and thus can handle moderate commuting and errands without using any gasoline, and some people (in the press and otherwise) confuse these, or even ordinary hybrids, with PZEVs. I recently saw a columnist refer to the Ford Focus and BMW 325i as hybrids, and I think it’s because he heard that they are PZEVs. However, most PZEVs are relatively ordinary gasoline cars; the name is a regulatory definition, not a functional one. In 1990, California issued emission regulations for new cars to be sold in the state over the ne
