A ___ generally has larger battery packs than hybrid electric vehicles, which allows it to travel moderate distances just using electricity.

A ___ generally has larger battery packs than hybrid electric vehicles, which allows it to travel moderate distances just using electricity.

• A. standard electric vehicle
• B. battery electric vehicle
• C. plug-in hybrid electric vehicle
• D. fuel cell electric vehicle

Answer: (C)

The main idea here is how energy storage size affects how far a vehicle can go on electricity alone. Hybrids use a relatively small battery charged mainly by the engine and regenerative braking, so they rely on the gasoline engine for most driving. A plug-in hybrid adds a larger rechargeable battery that you can top up from the grid, giving a meaningful electric-only range for moderate trips. Once that electric range is used up, the on-board gasoline engine kicks in to extend the trip, so you get the benefits of electric driving without being restricted to charging stops for every journey. That combination—a larger battery allowing meaningful electric-only distances while still having an internal combustion engine for longer trips—is what makes a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle the best fit. Standard battery electric vehicles and fuel cell electric vehicles depend on entirely different energy storage approaches, and they don’t match the idea of a larger battery than hybrids used to enable moderate electric-only travel in the same way.

The main idea here is how energy storage size affects how far a vehicle can go on electricity alone. Hybrids use a relatively small battery charged mainly by the engine and regenerative braking, so they rely on the gasoline engine for most driving. A plug-in hybrid adds a larger rechargeable battery that you can top up from the grid, giving a meaningful electric-only range for moderate trips. Once that electric range is used up, the on-board gasoline engine kicks in to extend the trip, so you get the benefits of electric driving without being restricted to charging stops for every journey.

That combination—a larger battery allowing meaningful electric-only distances while still having an internal combustion engine for longer trips—is what makes a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle the best fit. Standard battery electric vehicles and fuel cell electric vehicles depend on entirely different energy storage approaches, and they don’t match the idea of a larger battery than hybrids used to enable moderate electric-only travel in the same way.