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Difference between hybrid and plug-in hybrid

Innovation in motion

The new mobility options intend to contribute to the transport decarbonization objectives by offering more autonomous and environmentally friendly vehicles.

Spain wants to have 5 million electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles sold in the country by 2030. This is one of the objectives pursued by the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan which, among other things, seeks to accelerate the transition of drivers towards an electric mobility with the aim of contributing to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 23% compared to 1990.

In this context, the new forms of mobility play a key role. Finding out the difference between a hybrid and plug-in hybrid car, how each one works, or their main benefits is key when renewing the vehicle fleet and decarbonizing transport.

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What is a plug-in hybrid?

No one doubts that today it is not the same thing to talk about a traditional combustion car as it is to talk about electric vehicles. But the differences go beyond that, and far from being a mere distinction between the two categories, they establish singularities within electric mobility itself. The difference between a hybrid car and a plug-in hybrid is not limited to the type of engine, the size of the battery, or the range. Did you know that electric vehicles have no gears or clutch? Or that the battery of a hybrid car is smaller than that of a plug-in hybrid? The market offers a multitude of alternatives and each has its own particularities. 

Plug-in hybrids are within the category of electric vehicles with electric charge, in other words, they store energy in the battery and this is recharged by connecting the vehicle to the electric grid. Unlike full-battery electric vehicles (BEV or Battery Electric Vehicle), plug-in hybrids (PHEV or Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle) have an internal combustion engine (gasoline or diesel).

Its operation, therefore, depends on three main systems:

  • The thermal or combustion engine itself. It is based on its propulsion system and it is only activated when the battery runs out. 
  • The electric engine. It is supported by the combustion engine and it remains active for most of the time. It is recharged by connecting it to points enabled for this purpose.
  • Battery. The capacity of the battery is, precisely, a difference between hybrid and plug-in hybrid. PHEVs have a larger battery, which, in practice, translates into greater range in electric mode.

Are all hybrid vehicles plug-in?

The electrification of mobility is gradually advancing. However, the broad catalog of options offered by manufacturers can be misleading: 100% electric cars (BEV), hybrid (HEV: Hybrid Electric Vehicle), plug-in hybrids (PHEV)... If we focus only on hybrid vehicles, whether all vehicles in this category are plug-in is a recurring question. However, the answer is clear: no, not all of them can be recharged by connecting to the grid.  

This is, precisely, another of the differences between hybrid and plug-in hybrid. Known as self-recharging hybrids or electric hybrids, they have an internal combustion engine (gasoline or diesel) and a battery-electric engine. The electricity is generated through the recovery of braking energy or by the internal combustion engine itself, which, in practice, eliminates the need to resort to a recharging infrastructure. Within this category, there are also two types of vehicles: mild hybrid (they don't allow operation with the battery-electric engine alone) or full hybrid (both engines can operate simultaneously or independently).

Differences between hybrid and plug-in hybrid

Although they share common features, there are differences between hybrid and plug-in cars that should be known to make the right decision when choosing one or the other. These are some of the most interesting ones:

 

  1. Charging system: while electric hybrid vehicles recharge the battery of their electric engine through so-called regenerative braking, in the case of plug-in hybrids it is necessary to have a recharging infrastructure.
  2. Range: the size of the batteries is another difference between the hybrid car and plug-in hybrid, something that, in practice, translates into a greater or lower range in electric mode. The former can travel less distance using their electric engine, which makes it complicated to make long journeys without resorting to their combustion engine, while plug-ins are more flexible in this respect.
  3. Emissions: while the emissions of a conventional hybrid don't surpass 120 grams of CO2 per km, in the case of PHEVs they are barely around 30 g/km. In this way, the reduction of CO2 emissions by electric technology ranges from 50 to 75% in the case of plug-in hybrids, and between 10-40% in the case of HEVs.
  4. Label: depending on where you live, this can be a significant difference between hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars. The former have the ECO label, a category that removes a good part of the driving restrictions in cities... Although it is the Zero Emissions label of the DGT, that plug-in hybrid cars have, which ensures advantages such as being able to park for free in the street in certain areas, driving in the Bus-VAO (high-occupancy vehicle) lane, or accessing delimited areas.
  5. Grants: the MOVES III Plan also establishes differences depending on the electrification of vehicles and, in the case of plug-in hybrid vehicles, grants range from 2,500 to 7,000 euros.

 

Repsol and sustainable mobility

Repsol electric mobility

Innovation is at the core of Repsol's commitment to sustainable mobility. But in the task of conquering the challenge of decarbonizing transport it is also key to have the best allies and, in this regard, the company is deploying a network of partnerships with strategic players that allows accelerating the process. An example of this is the agreement signed with Uber to promote electric mobility through which Repsol provides Uber drivers with a comprehensive recharging solution with the guarantee that the source of the electricity is 100% renewable. In addition, the Wible car -the flexible rental operator of Repsol and Kia- is the first plug-in hybrid crossover that offers carsharing in Madrid.

Repsol promotes the use of more efficient vehicles by investing in infrastructures and already has a network of more than 2,000 operational charging points, of which more than 350 points are of public access, including more than 100 fast-charging points, the majority located at service stations.

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