What is a Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV)
With the new interest in fuel efficiency sparked by gas being well north of $2.00 a gallon in the US for quite a while time, people beyond the hybrid enthusiast population are beginning to be interested in plug-in hybrid electric vehicles or PHEV. It's time to take a look at what these plug-in cars are all about, and who they might be good for.
A plug in hybrid car is basically a "normal" hybrid that (usually) has a greater battery capacity, as well as a way for peoplt to "plug in" the car to charge the batteries. Most hybrids rely on their gasoline/diesel engines to charge their batteries, by burning fuel to create power. A plug in can do this - but can also recharge "off the grid" or by other means.
The goal of a plug-in hybrid is to take advantage of the fact that electric power is far cheaper than gasoline - thus any miles that can be driven solely on electric power will be far cheaper. Thus, PHEVs have a larger battery to maximize their range.
There are quite a few plug-in hybrids currently in the prototype stage - such as the Chevy Volt and the Saturn VUE. There are also conversion kits available for vehicles such as the Toyota Prius to allow them to become plug-in hybrids.
Because a plug-in hybrid is most efficient with the range of it's battery-powered mode, it will be most effective as a commute vehicle for commuters who travel a relatively short range. Ideally, you would be able to make your entire daily commute with enough juice to get back home and plug back in at the end of the day. As plug-ins start to come onto the market, and as battery technology gets ever more efficient, plug-in hybrids may become the standard for cards of the future - indeed there may be no distinction at all between a plug-in and "normal" hybrid in a decade or so.