Our AA DRIVEN Car of the Year coverage continues with the finalists for our three clean car categories: HEV (or hybrid vehicle), PHEV (plug-in hybrid vehicle), and BEV (battery electric vehicle).
Watch the full episode: Opel launches in NZ! Zooming with DRIVEN EP109
HEVs combine a combustion engine (usually petrol) with a small battery pack and electric motor(s). They are the ideal entry point to electrification because you don’t have to plug them in; instead, the battery is recharged by energy recaptured during braking or coasting, or sometimes (when the driving conditions are right) by the petrol engine.
Like HEVs, PHEVs also bring a combustion engine together with a battery and motor – but the electric component is more substantial, providing anywhere between 40-100km of EV running and the ability to plug in and recharge.
BEVs are arguably the purest kind of electrified vehicle: they don’t burn fossil fuel of any kind and rely solely on battery power – which means they have much bigger packs and can take a long time to charge, hence the huge advances being made in charging speed for many models (with the right DC station of course).
READ MORE: AA DRIVEN COTY: The best hybrid electrified vehicles of the year
READ MORE: AA DRIVEN COTY: The best plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) of the year
READ MORE: AA DRIVEN COTY: The best battery electric vehicles (BEVs) of the year