An electric vehicle (EV)vehicle, or EV, has a different engine to a petrol or diesel fuelled vehicle – it is an electrical motor that is fuelled by a battery which is charged by plugging it into an electric power point (a bit like charging your cellphone battery).
There are two main types of electric vehicle:
- Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) - these are a purely electric vehicle, fuelled only by the battery which is charged by plugging into an electric power point.
- Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs)– these have two engines – one fuelled by a battery which is charged by plugging into an electric power point, the other engine is fuelled from a fuel tank and generally uses petrol or diesel.
Conventional forms of petrol hybrids aren’t considered electric vehicles as they aren’t charged by ‘plugging in’. Their batteries are only charged by re-capturing energy when braking or from electricity generated by the engine.
Find out more about EVs, including information about safety and regulationsIf you are interested in finding out more about EVs, the EECA energy wise website has more information, including about safety and regulations .