Electric vehicles come in a wide variety of flavors, from fully electric battery electric vehicles (BEVs) to gasoline-based hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), with a whole rainbow of variations in between. Some electric vehicles even rely on fuel cells or gasoline generators to provide electricity instead of powerful battery banks.
Types of Electric Vehicles with Examples | BEV, PHEV, HEV, FCEV
The common factor is that every electric vehicle has an electric motor to propel the vehicle, either alone or in conjunction with a gasoline-based internal combustion engine (ICE). While all of these vehicles use electricity in some way, only battery electric vehicles are pure EVs.
It can be difficult to navigate the range of electric vehicles available, but you can break down the different types of electric vehicles into the following basic categories:
Battery electric vehicles are purely electric. Unlike other types of EVs, BEVs rely solely on battery power. These vehicles do not have internal combustion engines, have no tailpipes, and produce no emissions while driving. Since there is no internal combustion engine, the battery must be charged by plugging it in.
