I want a van version of these EREVs so bad. Make it into a camper van with a solar array on top, and it's already got an onboard generator integrated. As long as the battery range is ~200 miles, it would be so ideal for slow road-tripping around.
this post was submitted on 04 Jun 2025
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These are not pure EVs, this isn't new? Do I have that wrong? I thought hybrids have been around for a while.
EREVs or REx EVs aren't the same thing as a hybrid car. Lemme break down all the different steps along the way.
ICE cars - fully gasoline powered, the powertrain is an internal combustion engine which sends rotational energy from the crankshaft through a transmission and down a driveshaft that turns the wheels.
Hybrid Cars - This is also called a Parallel Hybrid. It adds a small battery and electric motor to the mix which go through a "power split device", a planetary gear device that functions like a combination of a transmission and a differential. The electric motor can power the wheels, or the ICE engine can power them. The battery is only able to be recharged through Regen braking or from the alternator when the ICE engine is running. Typically the electric motor only is used at low speeds or when beginning to move forward from a stop.
Plug-in Hybrid Cars - Still a Parallel Hybrid. The difference is that the battery is larger and you have the ability to plug it in to recharge the battery. You're also able to travel some distance entirely from the electric motor. Typical electric range is under 80km/50 mi.
Extended Range Electric Cars - Also called a series hybrid. The ICE engine cannot power the wheels at all, it is a generator which recharges the battery. The electric motors provide 100% of the power to the wheels. It's a battery electric vehicle with a gasoline-powered generator taking up some of your trunk space in exchange for recharging your battery.
Battery Electric Cars - No ICE engine at all, it's just the battery and the electric motor.
Extended Range Electric Cars
Isn't this basically how diesel electric trains work?
The trains obviously have smaller, less advanced batteries, but by relegating the ICE to a generator, you're able to tweak its performance and squeeze out a lot more efficiency. Instead of a normal ICE car, That's going to spend some amount of time idling, a decent amount of time accelerating, under and over RPMing, it's basically designed to work only when it needs to, and within the most efficient parameters it can, when it does.
GOOD comment! Thanks for clearing that up!
But in China, the emergence of extended-range EVs — which run primarily on electricity but use a gasoline engine to charge the battery when it runs low — and the rise in ultra-fast charging could solve the issue once and for all.
I guess they are a bit different from regular hybrids.
This is exactly how my 2018 Chevy Volt works, although 1000 total miles is much higher than my car's range of about 350.
They're not exactly the same. The volt is a plug-in hybrid, you can run it full electric or use the ICE to power the wheels. These ER EVs are more like diesel locomotives, the motor is just a generator to charge the battery and can't directly push the car at all, it's not even connected to the drivetrain. This is important because an ICE has an ideal operating range where it is most efficient but driving a motor vehicle directly requires it to operate across a wide range of RPMs. That's why there's a lot of research into variable transmissions, running the motor at a constant rate and changing your drive ratio is more efficient. I favour ER EVs over the variable trans because an EV can run on renewable energy.
Of course the best option is always no car at all whenever possible.
The ICE in a Volt only directly powers the wheels under very specific circumstances. I believe it's when the car is using the ICE to hold the battery level and is traveling at high speeds.
It really is best thought understood as an ER EV. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMZ163EYmCY
Huh! I stand corrected, I thought it was a standard plug in hybrid. Odd drivetrain there!
Neat, right? This video has almost convinced me to get one for my next car.
I found a YouTube link in your comment. Here are links to the same video on alternative frontends that protect your privacy:
The Volt sometimes does operate in generator mode, but the ICE can also mechanically assist like a Prius when the charge is low. Weird drivetrain.
That makes a lot of sense.
How is your volt holding up? They look neat, but I can't get a good sense of their longevity
It's rock solid at about 67K miles, been using it for rideshare averaging 37mpg overall while driving about 300 miles per day.
Nothing fundamentally new here, just very good range.