When I was first learning about the wonderful world of hybrids and other next-generation vehicles, I came across the term BEV and was curious about the difference between PHEV and BEV. This is what I found after some research on PHEV vs BEV.
The most significant difference between PHEV and BEV is that PHEV has a gas engine but BEV does not.PHEV stands for Plugin Hybrid Electric Vehicle. PHEV is closer to a “classic hybrid” of gas plus electric, with a twist – you can plug it into a power outlet. BEV refers to Battery Electric Vehicles. In other words, BEVs are purely electric and run solely on a battery.
But how exactly are PHEV and BEV different from each other? Let us look closer.
Let’s start with a basic data sheet on the differences between PHEV and BEV.
Watch this video below for an introduction about the differences between plugin hybrids and electric vehicles:
| PHEV | BEV | |
| Engine | Uses gas ICE and Electric | Only Electric |
| Range | Use gas for long trips | < 100 miles |
| Price | Lower | Higher |
This table gives us some big clues about the key pros and cons of PHEV vs BEV. Now let’s dive deeper into the details to see how they play out.
We’ll start with an overview of PHEV, then BEV. Since PHEV cars are closer to the original hybrid model.
PHEV – Plugin Hybrid Electric
PHEV is a very unique vehicle that contains both hybrid and full EV features. What this means is that it functions like a regular hybrid, but with a major alteration to its battery.
The key distinctive of a PHEV battery is its much higher capacity over a regular hybrid battery. In fact, in order for the PHEV battery to be fully charged, it has to be plugged into an external electrical outlet.
Similar to electric vehicles, PHEVs are eco-friendly, with a stable torque available from the start. In ICE-powered vehicles, the maximal torque becomes available at a specific number of rotations per minute (RPM).
Like conventional cars, PHEVs have large ranges, because they can use the gasoline or diesel fuel offered by numerous fueling stations all over the world.
With a fully charged battery plus a full tank of fuel, the PHEV driving range is on par with a conventional ICE vehicle.
In a PHEV, drivers get the benefits of all-electric motoring on shorter trips and commutes, and full-hybrid driving range for longer trips. Unlike a standard all-electric vehicle, the PHEV reverts to regular hybrid operation once its electric range is depleted. At this point it uses gasoline and also self-generated electricity for hundreds of kilometers of additional driving.
Even if you are unable to recharge the PHEV for an extended period, the vehicle will still function fully as a conventional hybrid. Charging your PHEV reduces its fuel use, but it is never mandatory.
For a complete guide on PHEV, go here.
Here is a video from the Kelley Blue Book about PHEVs:
BEV – Battery Electric Vehicle
BEVs are also more simply (but less specifically) known as EVs (Electric Vehicles). The EV has no conventional combustion engine. There is no fuel tank, no exhaust pipe, and no engine oil to change.
For the purposes of this article we’ll keep it simple and just call these all-electric vehicles BEVs.
BEVs are machines at the extreme end of vehicle electrification. Unlike all other examples here, they use a battery-powered electric motor drive system to drive the vehicle, 100 percent of the time.
BEVs are recharged by plugging into an electrical outlet or charging station, which restores the on-board battery.
Recharging a BEV takes considerably longer than refueling a conventional vehicle.
Depending on the type of charger used and the ambient temperature, a full battery charge can take several hours. Similar to when you charge up your phone or laptop.
Manufacturers have tried to improve the newer BEV models by offering a quick charge system that boosts the charge speed so charge time is shorter. Some high-output quick-charge stations can even yield 70 percent charge in just 30 minutes. That’s remarkable speed.
Compared to the PHEV, a BEV’s driving range is considerably less. However, there are newer models of BEVs coming out with advanced battery technology to support higher BEV ranges. And it gets even more creative than simply extending the battery life.
Take for example the BMW i3. It’s one of the electric vehicles with a range-extending gasoline engine. What in the world of hybrids is a range extender, you ask? Basically, a range extender acts as a generator to recharge the battery. Range extenders are typically used to power the battery as it starts to runs low. This gives drivers the ability to carry on driving without having to stop immediately and recharge.
This range extender adds the extra twist of a structural difference. Unlike the engine structure of a traditional hybrid, a range extender is not connected to the vehicle’s driveline. In other words, it is not directly responsible for controlling the wheels.
In a range-extended BEV, the priority is on electric driving. The range extender is only used as a backup. If we look at the specific case of the BMW i3, the two-cylinder gasoline engine’s range extender can add an impressive 100 kilometers to the vehicle’s range, once the battery approaches depletion.
Of course there’s always the psychological factor to consider. Drivers can develop “driving anxiety” over the security of their battery situation. To deal with this, they need to be conscious of the availability of nearby charging infrastructure. Right now this isn’t always a given. But in a few years, driving anxiety should be outdated. More charging infrastructure is cropping up all the time. It’s quickly becoming more common in airports, hotels, restaurants, shopping centers, and other areas.
Although BEV vehicles have great performance due to their high-torque motors, the heater performance is less than stellar.
In fact, heating a BEV’s cabin can actually reduce its driving range (it’s power use, people). Conclusion? In a PHEV vs BEV comparison for cold climate shoppers, BEVs may not be as ideal.
If this has whet your appetite for more details on electric vehicle functionality, check out this video:
Powertrain of PHEV vs BEV
The major benefit BEVs over PHEVs is their simplicity. One motor means fewer components.
What does this mean for the owner of a BEV?
Maintenance costs are less
Repair costs are less
Maintenance is simpler and less frequent
Overall less that can go wrong
- Maintenance costs are less
- Repair costs are less
- Maintenance is simpler and less frequent
- Less in general that can go wrong
Operating a BEV can also be simpler. PHEV cars can have multiple different eco-friendly modes where you can specify which power train to use.
But with BEV there is only one mode: fully electric.
What about downsides to BEVs? Are there any?
The main downside to a BEV is that traveling long distances may be slightly more inconvenient due to longer charging times.
Conversely, a PHEV’s major benefit is that it can be filled up with gas just like a traditional car, making long-distance trips easier.
However, long-distance trips are not usually a daily event for most owners. So that means your PHEV is dragging around a second engine (and the associated maintenance) that may rarely be used.
We’ve seen that a PHEV’s inherent mechanical complexity does increase maintenance costs. And even though many PHEVs have electric-only ranges of around 30-60km, this range is unfortunately compromised by the thing that’s there to save it – the large fossil-fuel engine that’s being driven around unused while running on electric power.
Do you
- Live in the country?
- Have to run your vehicle for your business for long stretches?
If so, PHEVs are definitely still a great compromise that allow you to fall back on gas or diesel as the primary source of fuel.
But commuters don’t need to completely throw out BEVs. It’s been demonstrated that many commuters in major cities (such as Australia for example) are workable for driving to work and back, given their range plus the supporting charging infrastructure needed.
There’s another significant benefit to PHEV vs BEV that we can’t skip mentioning. PHEVs are generally cheaper than BEVs, at least for now. This is because large batteries that solo power cars are still quite expensive, and the PHEVs can get by on smaller batteries. But don’t expect this situation to last too long. Battery prices continue to plummet and their manufacture is definitely ramping up.
Range of PHEV vs BEV
Driving range capacity may be the most striking difference between a BEV and a PHEV. A BEV has a driving range limited by the energy storage capacity of its battery, while a PHEV is virtually unlimited, since it comes equipped with a liquid fuel tank and an internal combustion engine.
So for a PHEV, you simply drive until the battery is depleted, and then the gasoline engine takes over. In most cases, the transition is seamless and barely noticeable from the driver’s seat.
Because of this difference, manufacturers of BEVs and PHEVs make different assumptions about the driving patterns and preferences of their customers.
According to the latest National Household Travel Survey, 89% of all car trips are shorter than 20 miles, and the average driver travels 29.7 miles per day. That certainly doesn’t qualify as a road trip.
To give you a specific example, the Nissan LEAF covers that 89% distance easily – with its 24-kWh battery and a stated 100-mile driving range.
So BEVs very adequately meet the needs of those 89% of car trips. But the challenge lies in the remaining 11%. It’s about accommodating the outliers – those trips surpassing 100 miles.
After all, most of us want to drive our cars anywhere, anytime. We don’t want to wait for hours to get the car charged – either before we start the trip or, even worse, somewhere in the middle. Of course the other option is keep a 2nd car around just for road trips, but that’s a slightly expensive alternative.
So for areas where there is an absence of a dense network of fast-charging stations, PHEVs have a significant advantage over BEVs. Like Chevy’s tagline puts it: “Charge Anywhere, Drive Everywhere.”
PHEV vs BEV: Cost
In a world where the cost of batteries is the key player in price comparisons, it’s worth noting that those battery prices make up the bulk of the incremental costs of a BEV over a comparable ICE. Given this situation, PHEVs have a starting advantage over BEVs, since they can be equipped with a smaller battery.
The Toyota Prius Plug-In comes with a 5.2-kWh battery, significantly smaller than the LEAF’s 24-kWh battery. The Chevy Volt has a 16 kWh battery but only uses 50% of its capacity.
Granted, PHEVs incur other costs that BEVs do not (such as the cost for the internal combustion engine), but those are not sufficiently high to offset the battery cost differential. Yes, that’s how much fully electric car batteries cost.
Bottom line? PHEVs are offered at lower upfront costs than comparable BEVs.
But there are other costs to consider for BEVs. What about operating costs? For example, it’s obvious that a mile driven electrically is cheaper than a mile driven on gasoline.
We speculate that the typical PHEV comes equipped with a battery large enough to enable all-electric drive for that statistical 90% of trips, so that the total operating costs will be similar in the end.
There’s still a significant concern for many people – running out of battery power. Although we find that if you poll actual drivers, it seems to be more of an issue for people who don’t own an electric car, rather than those who actually drive one.
In other words, potential BEV consumers anticipate a charging problem, but actual BEV consumers don’t seem to encounter that problem.
Charging : PHEV vs BEV
Similar to the concept of range anxiety, charging is less of an issue for plug-in hybrid drivers. If the next charger is too far away, you simply keep driving serenely along on the engine until you find a charger, or get where you are going.
But PHEVs and fast charging don’t go together. The small battery size of PHEVs means they cannot charge as fast as a car with a larger battery. The result is that the time to charge either a PHEV or a BEV is actually about the same.
Finally, there is a considerable difference in the reliance on public charging infrastructure.
PHEVs can be refueled at any gas station, of which there are more than 164,000 in the United States. BEVs, however, rely on public electric charging infrastructure.
In the early years, when public charging spots were rare, PHEVs offered their drivers more flexibility and freedom than BEVs did.
It would not be the first time in cleantech history that a small early lead for one technology platform translates into a substantial commercial lead (due to economies of scale and learning effects), driving rival technology platforms to the outer edges of the market.
If you want to look at specifics of a PHEV and BEV by the same manufacturer, check out Chevy. GM’s Chevy Volt is a PHEV and its Chevy Bolt is a BEV. You can learn more about these cars here.
Interesting facts about PHEV and BEV cars
- Availability: Not all plug-in vehicles are available in all areas. Outside of California, many areas have very few plug-in cars to choose from. Many BEVs are simply not available in many areas.
- Body Style: If a person wants an EV, but they also want a particular body style, especially an SUV, this limits the options even more. Right now, there are more PHEV options than BEV options. (Note: the Tesla Model Y will alter things considerably.)
- Affordability: There are more PHEV options right now than BEV is. Many of those PHEVs are more affordable than their BEV counterparts or competitors.
- Lack of Charging Infrastructure: 90% of the country has limited or no charging infrastructure. What little we have is often broken or iced. For the general public to get on board, we need 20 times as many chargers as we have and they need to be working and available.
- Dealerships: Dealers do not really like anything with a plug on it. However, they are less hostile to PHEVs since they do not have to worry about charging them up and thus can treat the entire sales process just like an ICE vehicle. In addition, PHEVs will still need maintenance related to the internal combustion engine and all its clothing.
- Ignorance: This covers many areas, including possible ignorance of the customer or dealership regarding the advantages of a BEV. However, the public is not yet ready for BEVs at the moment. It is going to take time for regular people to learn how to charge a car. It may seem so simple to you, but for some people, it is like learning quantum mechanics.
Conclusions
Now that we’ve reviewed both PHEV and BEV cars, it’s clear that they each carry distinct advantages. PHEV cars have cheaper starting costs and take less thought for keeping fueled. BEVs come with a simpler design and a more environmentally friendly usage.
A key differentiator seems to be the current availability of public charging infrastructure. This could change quickly, maybe within a few years.
To review, here’s our handy table with the major differences between BEV and PHEV:
| PHEV | BEV | |
| Engine | Uses gas ICE and Electric | Only Electric |
| Range | Use gas for long trips | < 100 miles |
| Price | Lower | Higher |
Frequently Asked Questions
Battery Electric Vehicle. This is what is commonly called an Electric Vehicle or EV.
Tesla is an electric vehicle, so Tesla is a BEV. There is no gas engine in a Tesla.
BEV means Battery Electric Vehicle and PHEV means Plugin Hybrid Electric Vehichle. BEV is a purely electric, where as PHEV has a gas engine.
Tesla is a BEV, a purely eletric vehicle