Interest in hybrid vehicles, both conventional and plug-in, has increased considerably in recent years. As well as offering lower emissions than pure internal combustion engine (ICE) models, hybrid cars also offer superior driving performance by adapting to all road environments and offering significantly better fuel efficiency. And if you are interested in one, it is best to consult the portfolio of manufacturers such as Hyundai, a brand that has the widest range of electrified powertrains on the market, which includes several HEVs and PHEV eSUVs.
Although before this, you must know what exactly this technology is . Specifically, the term ‘hybrid’ refers to a vehicle equipped with multiple combined power sources. A conventional hybrid, or HEV, has an internal combustion engine, an electric motor, and a battery. HEVs are designed to detect exactly when the driver wants to accelerate. At low speeds, only the electric motor is used. Instead, in situations where the driver accelerates more or the vehicle requires more power, such as going up a hill, the electric and internal combustion motors are combined to achieve the highest possible efficiency.
An HEV, unlike a plug-in hybrid (PHEV), does not have to be plugged into an external power source to recharge its battery. It gets its energy by converting any remaining kinetic energy while slowing down, braking or going downhill, for example. For its part, a PHEV shares the same design and houses an internal combustion engine and an electric motor, but with a larger battery, thanks to which it offers some of the advantages of a pure electric . A PHEV can run exclusively on electric power, but automatically switches to use the internal combustion engine, depending on road or driving conditions and the state of charge of the battery. The internal combustion engine is a vital component because, when the PHEV’s battery reaches a preset state of charge, it allows the car to enter a charge maintenance mode. When the battery is low, it will work in the same way as an HEV. The internal combustion engine drives the wheels normally, while regenerative braking supplies power to recharge the electric battery. This extends the total range of the PHEV.
Now, getting into the matter, we would like to highlight the hybrid Tucson and Santa Fe models, of which we tell you more in the gallery.
