

However, hybrids do not tend to get substantially improved mileage during steady highway cruising. These HEVs all deliver substantially better fuel economy than their nonhybrid, gas-engine counterparts in stop-and-go city driving, because they can recapture energy while braking (in exchange for the disadvantages of added complexity and somewhat higher price). Conventional hybrids use their gasoline engines to keep their modestly sized batteries charged as you drive, with no need to plug them in, and virtually every major maker offers HEV cars, SUVs, and trucks. While the first modern HEV was Honda's bullet-shaped, two-seat Insight, which went on sale in 2000, Toyota's Prius quickly surpassed it to become as associated with the term "hybrid" as Google is with internet searches. Honda / Honda Clarity Hybrid Conventional Hybrids: How They Work Here are the similarities, differences, and pros and cons of hybrids and plug-in hybrids. HEVs and PHEVs occupy the middle ground, and they will likely represent the majority of electrified vehicles for some years to come. They may be small-battery "mild" hybrids-with electric motors that add some acceleration, recover energy during braking, and provide some juice for stop-start systems-or big-battery, long-range EVs. These vehicles are largely defined by the amount of electric assist and electric-only range they provide. In addition to hybrids (HEVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), the universe of electrified vehicles (that is, vehicles that incorporate an electric motor into their powertrain) includes full-electric vehicles (EVs) that are powered solely by a large battery pack and have no gasoline engine. These share and sometimes trade off the job of delivering power to their drive wheels as needed to provide the best fuel efficiency in every driving condition-in the city, on the highway, and at varying speeds and rates of acceleration. Hybrid vehicles use a combination of gasoline-fueled engines and electric motors. The word "hybrid" means simply "of mixed origin," which perfectly describes both hybrid and plug-in-hybrid vehicles.
