Hybrid vehicles, like the Hyundai Santa Fe, are making waves on the Louisville roads. They’re a great way to dip your toe into the electric market without forgoing gas-powered engines altogether. Hybrid and plug-in hybrids both combine the power of traditional gas-powered engines and newer electric motors to give you better fuel economy and a more eco-friendly ride. Many drivers may be wondering, though: what’s the difference between hybrid and plug-in hybrid models? Will the one you end up getting affect how you drive?
The difference between hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles is the prioritization of their electric battery. Hybrid vehicles have slightly smaller batteries and have both gas and electric power running at the same time. They rely on the energy created by the gas engine to power the electric battery while you drive. Plug-in hybrid vehicles, on the other hand, have a much larger electric battery, which should be charged through a charging unit or household outlet in your home. A plug-in hybrid starts all of your drives using electric power and switches to gas as necessary to keep you moving around Radcliff. Keep reading to learn more about the benefits of each type of hybrid vehicle and see which one is right for you!
One of the biggest advantages of hybrid models over plug-in hybrid models is that the way they drive is familiar. The battery of a hybrid vehicle is charged as you drive and smoothly integrates electric power into your everyday drives. This saves you immensely on fuel economy without changing the way you drive. There are no extra steps– no charging stations to install and no worries about the battery needing to be recharged. This makes hybrid vehicles a perfect choice for drivers looking to ease themselves into the electric market without completely changing their regular routines.
Plug-in hybrid models are similar to their hybrid counterparts in that they both use a combination of a gas engine and electric motors to power your vehicle. The biggest difference between hybrid and plug-in hybrids is that a plug-in hybrid will prioritize its much larger electric battery first, only switching to gas when the battery is low or drained.
This prioritization allows you to drive around Shively on solely the electric battery, saving you fuel and reducing your emissions! Each electric battery has an estimated range you can travel on battery power alone so that you can plan to run errands or commute to work entirely on electric power. That said, once the battery runs out of that range, you’ll be switched over to your gas engine until you can plug your vehicle into a charging station, whether that’s a household outlet or a dedicated home charging station.
Plug-in hybrids are one step closer than hybrid vehicles to electric cars and are a great choice for those interested in electric vehicles but have a bit of EV range anxiety. Since you always have a traditional gas engine to fall back on, you’ll never have to worry about how far you can go without plugging in.
Ready to start your journey to a more fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly vehicle? Then browse Hyundai of Louisville’s Hyundai hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicle inventory and see which model is right for you! When you’re ready, contact us to set up a test drive of your favorite hybrid in Louisville!
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