With electric vehicles becoming more and more prevalent on the automotive market, we thought we’d take a second to give you the rundown on the four different types of electric vehicles. Some of these vehicles have been around a lot longer than you might think, because what we’re typically thinking about when we hear the term “electric vehicle” is just the battery electric vehicle type. However, hybrid electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles are also EVs, and they’ve been around for quite some time. As have the fourth kind – fuel cell electric vehicles, though to a much smaller degree.

[ SHOP NOW: Find Your New Subaru Solterra Today! ]

HEVs & PHEVs

Hybrid vehicles have been prevalent for a long time, with the Prius dating all the way back to the 2000 model year. We don’t immediately think of these as electric vehicles because they’ve still got a conventional engine as well, but they do utilize a battery-powered motor powertrain as well. Plug-in hybrids take that a step further by introducing a battery that can be charged directly with electricity.

BEVs

Then you step up to the true battery electric vehicle, which pulls out the gasoline engine and is simply powered by electricity. Their powertrains are composed of electric motors and battery packs that enable the vehicle to be incredibly efficient and have pretty impressive range.

FCEVs

While fuel cell electric vehicles have been commercially produced since back in 2013, they’re incredibly limited due to requiring a special type of refueling station. Instead of using gas or regular electricity, they use fuel cells that convert hydrogen directly into electric energy to power the vehicles. Infrastructure has been the biggest inhibitor to FCEVs spreading across the country, but that’s poised to change in the years to come.

If you have any questions about this information don’t hesitate to reach out to us here at Centennial Subaru today.