Miniaturization of tech in the last few years has made hydrogen FCVs more commercially viable, and we're starting to see more interest from manufacturers like Honda and Hyundai. This technology has been around in automobiles for a few decades, but due to costs, size of components and a relative lack of infrastructure, there aren't many companies still working with it. The Hyundai Nexo is only available in select areas.Ī fuel cell takes hydrogen and oxidizes it to create an electrical charge, which is then channeled into a battery and used by electric motors.
More expensive than similar size series hybrids or ICE vehicles.Low center of gravity is great for vehicle handling.No tailpipe, therefore no emissions and no emissions testing.Mechanical simplicity means less maintenance than ICE.Purely electric vehicles are becoming more and more common, thanks to innovation from relatively new companies like Tesla and industry stalwarts like General Motors and Nissan. Mechanically speaking, BEVs are the least complex of all the vehicles we're covering when you consider that even the simplest multi-cylinder internal combustion engine has many hundreds of moving parts, while an electric motor only has its rotor.
Oh, and tons of complex software to manage the thousands of individual cells that make up that big battery. More expensive to buy than series hybrids or mild hybrids.īattery electric vehicles are mostly what they sound like: A big battery with at least one electric drive motor wired to it.Lower running cost compared to series hybrids.Lower purchasing cost compared to BEVs.Increased range over battery electric vehicles due to a range-extending gasoline engine.This is what gives them their extended EV-only range. Another area where plug-in hybrids differ from either mild hybrids or series hybrids is in the size of their battery pack. The plug-in part of their name comes from their ability to be plugged into an electric car charging station, rather than just relying on the ICE and regenerative braking for battery power, thus effectively eliminating range anxiety. These cars move closer to the fully electric vehicle side of the continuum, with the ability to go longer distances on electric power alone. The plug-in hybrid is the next logical step forward from the series hybrid system. The RAV4 Prime has a whole lot of electric range to it. Increased cost and complexity versus internal combustion-only engines.Lighter weight compared to other electrified vehicles.
Can reduce turbo lag by torque-filling until the engine comes on boost.Stop-start system saves fuel during idle.Can power many of a car's electrical systems.Some mild hybrid systems will feature regenerative braking or will offer power-assist or torque-fill to the ICE, but all lack the ability to run solely on electric power. The hybrid system allows the ICE to be restarted almost instantaneously and can power ancillary systems on the vehicle such as the stereo or air conditioning. In a mild hybrid system, the ICE will often shut itself off entirely under no-load conditions such as coasting down a hill or coming to a stop. Yeah, even trucks are in on the mild-hybrid game.Ī mild hybrid system is the simplest and most cost-effective way of adding electric drivetrain components to a vehicle powered by an internal combustion engine.