What are the different types of hybrid vehicles and what do can they do for you?

Hybrid, mild hybrid, electrified ICE, PHEV, L, M, N, O, P … the names for the different kinds of hybrid vehicle can be a bit overwhelming if you’re not a dyed-in-the-wool gearhead. There really are a seemingly endless number of monikers and brand identities given to the various methods of adding some level of electric-powered assistance to the conventional cars, trucks, and SUVs we’re familiar with. What do they mean for you, the driver?

I discussed the benefits of hybrids in a previous piece , but the “Coles Notes” version is that combining one or more electric motors with an internal combustion engine (ICE) of the kind that burns gasoline, allows the efficiencies of electric propulsion to be paired with the quick and easy refuelling and extended driving ranges we’ve come to expect from conventional vehicles. Importantly, that range comes without the need for a large, heavy and expensive battery a car would need to have to get the same capability in a pure electric vehicle (EV).

As pure EVs do, many hybrids can use their electric motor(s) to perform much of the braking and this provides major benefits to the driver.

This “regenerative braking” recaptures some of the vehicle’s kinetic (motion) energy, recharging the battery with it, instead of wasting it as heat in the brakes.

When you say “hybrid,” the example most folks will think of is Toyota’s Prius. Not all hybrids are created equal, though, marketing departments be damned. Even the definition of what constitutes a “hybrid” is a continuing source of debate; the most accepted definition requires that the vehicle be capable of being propelled by either power source (electric or internal-combustion) independently, at least under some conditions.

Electrified ICEs, such as the “eTorque” versions of several Jeep and Ram models, incorporate a smaller, lower-voltage — 48 volts is typical — often belt-driven, motor-generator that recharges a briefcase-sized battery pack, while the gasoline engine is running (especially while braking). Although they’re capable of extended coasting while the internal-combustion engine is off, the vehicle can’t be propelled fully by electricity alone. These are often referred to as mild hybrids.

Able to smoothly restart the engine after shutting it off during the times when a conventional vehicle’s engine would have to idle, mild hybrids can also add in a small amount of torque to assist that engine or even smooth out gear changes. This differs greatly from basic stop-start systems, which can only crank the engine to restart it.

Although their impact on consumption is relatively minor, mild hybrids are a simpler, less costly alternative to the next level of electrification.

True (or “full”) hybrids, such as the Prius, Ford’s F-150 Powerboost, or the Honda CR-V Touring Hybrid, have far larger and more powerful electric motors, sometimes as many as three, that work together. In most, the ICE remains the primary propulsion source and has a greater output than the electric side does; the system in newer Honda hybrids, such as the CR-V, flips that power relationship.

System voltages in most true hybrids are much higher — commonly 200 volts to 400 volts — and the batteries are far larger than those in mild hybrids.

Most can start-off and be driven for short distances at low speeds solely on electric power; many can manage brief periods of electric-only travel at highway speeds. All full hybrids use regenerative braking to increase efficiency, though the majority of the battery’s charge is provided by the internal combustion engine. They cannot be plugged in to an external power source to charge.

Efficiency is almost always appreciably better than in comparable ICE-only models (particularly in urban settings), and, in some cases, the hybrid version is also more powerful.

Plug-in hybrids, or PHEVs, have even larger batteries and more powerful electric motors than comparable hybrid models, to permit electric-only use under a far wider set of circumstances, and for anywhere from only a few kilometres to around 75 km, at a time. (These are not pure electric vehicles, but hybrids, of course.)

Nearly all of the European automakers’ current hybrid offerings are either mild hybrids or plug-ins (Audi’s Q5 TFSI e, BMW’s X5 XDRIVE50e, and Volvo’s XC90 Recharge, for example), skipping the middle-ground of — it feels weird to say this — “traditional” hybrids. You needn’t look solely to the premium European brands to find hybrids that you can charge with a cord, though, as Hyundai, Kia, Ford, Toyota, and Stellantis (formerly FCA, née Chrysler) all offer models with this capability.

One final level of electrification exists that still uses an ICE, and that’s “range extended” electric vehicles, such as BMW’s previous i3 REX and the will-we-or-won’t-we-get-it (globally available) Mazda MX-30 R-EV. These are proper battery-electric vehicles optionally available with what is effectively an on-board, gasoline-powered generator that allows them to function in circumstances where plug-in charging is impractical or impossible. As the ICE is fully independent and not mechanically linked to the wheels in any way, these are not considered to be hybrids, although they do represent an alternative to PHEVs (plug-in hybrids) for those prioritizing electric-only operation.

Ask a Mechanic is written by Brian Early, a Red Seal-certified automotive technician. You can send questions to wheels@thestar.ca.