Hybrid cars: what fuel do they use?

Hybrid vehicles run on gasoline and electricity, two sources of energy that offer many benefits, from fuel economy to more power.

Gasoline and electricity are the fuel in a hybrid car. Typically, these types of vehicles run on two specific engines for each power source. Depending on its nature, you can use both engines while driving, guaranteeing, in the case of the electric motor, a longer range and greater fuel economy in the case of its petrol engine.

According to the data, hybrid cars can be divided into several categories according to their capabilities:

1. Hybrid Hybrids (HEVs): These are considered normal or base hybrid vehicles among hybrid vehicles and are generally referred to as "pure hybrids" as well. They significantly reduce pollutant emissions and are known mainly for fuel economy. While an electric motor can power or start a car, it needs a gasoline engine to get a lot of power. In a word, both motors work simultaneously to drive the car. Unlike plug-in hybrids, these vehicles do not have an outlet to charge the electric motor, in that sense it is charged by the energy generated while driving.

2. Plug-in hybrids (PHEVs): These have larger capacity batteries that need to be charged through a dedicated outlet at electric charging stations. This feature allows them to use electrical energy to move faster, which is why the gasoline engine is losing prominence. However, the latter is still necessary to achieve greater power. Compared to a pure hybrid, these cars tend to be less efficient over long distances, not to mention the time it takes to charge the batteries, which also makes the vehicle heavier to run on an internal combustion engine, experts say.

3. Series/electric hybrids with extended autonomy: these have some of the characteristics of a plug-in hybrid to get their batteries fully charged, but unlike the previous ones, they put more emphasis on the electric motor that is responsible for their operation. . In this sense, the internal combustion engine is meant to be used as an auxiliary in case the car runs out of power.

In recent years, there has also been a trend towards hybridization of cars that do not exist initially. However, as with plug-in hybrids and their heavy batteries, this decision can have a direct impact on fuel consumption as the car will need more power to move due to the extra weight.

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