Fuel efficiencies of Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) and Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs) differ significantly due to their distinct operational modes and battery sizes.
Comparison of Fuel Efficiencies
- PHEVs: These vehicles have larger batteries, typically 10 to 20 times the size of those in HEVs, which allows them to operate solely on electric power for short to medium distances, generally between 20 to 50 miles. This capability leads to improved fuel efficiency, especially on short trips or in city driving. PHEVs can achieve fuel economies in the range of 1.3 to 3.1 L/100 km when run primarily on electricity.
- HEVs: These vehicles cannot operate solely on electric power for extended periods and rely more heavily on their internal combustion engines, though they use regenerative braking to recharge their smaller batteries. HEVs typically achieve fuel economies between 4.0 and 6.6 L/100 km. While better than conventional gas-powered vehicles, they are less efficient than PHEVs when the latter are primarily electric.
Real-World Efficiency Claims
In real-world tests, PHEVs often consume more fuel than claimed due to factors like battery charging patterns and driving habits, sometimes using up to 45% more fuel than estimated by trip computers and up to 73% more when measured at the pump. HEVs tend to be closer to their claimed efficiencies, typically underestimating fuel use by about 10% on trip computers and 20% at the pump.
Overall, PHEVs generally offer better fuel efficiency than HEVs, especially for shorter trips where the electric range can be fully utilized. However, both options provide significant improvements over traditional gasoline vehicles in terms of fuel efficiency and emissions reduction.
Original article by NenPower, If reposted, please credit the source: https://nenpower.com/blog/how-do-the-fuel-efficiencies-of-phevs-and-hevs-compare/
