Regenerative braking uses energy wasted during braking or coasting to recharge the battery, with lots of little micro top-ups during normal driving. Most hybrids are charged automatically without any intervention by the driver. These range-extenders are also sometimes called a series hybrid (so named because the electric motor always drives the wheels - the internal combustion engine (ICE) is plumbed straight into the electric drivetrain, rather than the wheels on the road. The BMW i3 REx is a good example of the genre, however, it is no longer in Australia.
Yep, yet another category of hybrid… REX stands for Range-Extender electric vehicle, meaning the internal combustion engine on board is only ever used as a generator to charge the battery of an EV, rather than to drive the wheels. What is a range-extender or REX hybrid car? The result? Sky-high bills and fuel economy worse than a petrol or diesel car! Therefore, only invest in a PHEV if you have the means to regularly charge it.
What are the types of hybrid car?Ī traditional hybrid (HEV) is a car which can drive under its own electric power, petrol or a combination: an electric motor on board is capable of driving the wheels under full e-power for a short distance, although most of the time the car will be driven by a mixture of combustion engine and electric motion. You’ll usually find a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) gearbox, designed to maximise economy and deliver torque or pulling power when you need to accelerate fast. The majority of hybrids also use an auto 'box, so you don’t have to change gear.
Most do this quite seamlessly, so the driver merely steers, stops and goes - there are rarely other buttons to confuse things (apart from an EV button on some full hybrids, to select full electric drive around town). Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles emit just water vapor and warm air, which means they emit less energy. Here RMV is calculated by analysing a 2019 BMW 5 Series plug-in hybrid Sedan in Bellevue, WA with 248 hp 2L I4 engine, Automatic transmission and mileage of 25,152 miles. RMV RMV is Real Market Value of a car calculated by Carindigo. When the vehicle is idle, the engine in hybrid vehicles shuts down and restarts when the accelerator is pressed. Price dropped by 1,000 Previous price was 39,000 on 14th August 2021. The clever bit comes in the power control electronics, which juggle the different power sources. Hybrid vehicles are more expensive, but you might get a fantastic price on a used hybrid. MORE: Are EVs and hybrids good for towing?
MORE: Diesel vs hybrid: which is the better petrol alternative?Hybrid cars in their various forms – which we'll talk about later – combine the power from a conventional combustion engine along with an electric motor to propel the car and the result is either more efficient, more powerful or both.Īt lower speeds, most hybrids allow a short period fully-electric driving with the engine taking over as the speed increases.ĭepending on the system, the electric motor then switches off, coming back on seamlessly when extra power is required, such as when overtaking.