Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles

A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) is a hybrid electric vehicle that uses rechargeable batteries, or another energy storage device, that can be recharged by plugging it in to an external source of electric power. A PHEV shares the characteristics both of a conventional hybrid electric vehicle, having an electric motor and an internal combustion engine (ICE), and of an all-electric vehicle, having a plug to connect to the electrical grid. Most PHEVs are passenger cars but there are also PHEV versions of commercial vehicles and vans, utility trucks, buses, trains, motorcycles, scooters, and military vehicles.

The cost of electricity to power plug-in hybrids for all-electric operation has been estimated at less than one quarter of the cost of gasoline in California. Compared to conventional vehicles, PHEVs produce less air pollution locally and require less petroleum. PHEVs may produce less in the way of greenhouse gases, which contribute to global warming, than conventional vehicles do. PHEVs also eliminate the problem of range anxiety associated with all-electric vehicles, because the combustion engine works as a backup when the batteries are depleted, giving PHEVs driving-range comparable to that of other vehicles that have gasoline and diesel tanks. Plug-in hybrids use no fossil fuel at the point of use during their all-electric range.

Plug-in hybrids' greenhouse-gas emissions, during operation in their all-electric range mode, depend on the type of power plant used to feed the electrical grid when the battery is charged. (See "Greenhouse gas emissions", below.) If the batteries are charged directly from renewable sources off the electrical grid, then the tailpipe greenhouse gas emissions are zero when running only on battery power. Other benefits include improved national energy security, less frequent fill-ups at the filling station, the convenience of home recharging, opportunities to provide emergency backup power in the home, and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) applications. Several countries, including the United States, China, and several European countries, have enacted laws to ease the introduction of PHEVs through grants and tax credits, emissions mandates, and financing research and development in advanced batteries and related technology.

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