Many people shy away from electric vehicles (EVs) due to their shorter range than traditional gasoline powered options. Call it “range anxiety” and it’s very real if your work requires lots of daily driving or when going on long trips.
But what if you want the environmental friendliness of ditching your gas-guzzler without the range anxiety of giving it up? Then you should look at a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle.
What’s a Plug-in Hybrid?
Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) combine battery power with an internal combustion (IC) engine to give the best of both worlds. In fact, they do such a good job that the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, cited in the Washington Post, suggests that the “greenest” car in America is a plug-in hybrid that can go 44 miles on electricity alone before switching to hybrid.
Unlike other hybrids, the Toyota Prius for example, that use the car’s brakes as generators, PHEVs plug into chargers like fully electric EVs. Their larger batteries pack more power, typically giving them ranges of 20-50 miles per charge, depending on the model and driving conditions (High speed and hilly driving can lower range significantly, as can cold weather.)
This is sufficient range to handle most daily driving, meaning for most people, most driving will be fully electric. Non-plug-in hybrids seldom get more than 5-10 miles before the gas engine kicks in. Both give the security and peace of mind of a gasoline backup, but PHEVs do so at considerably lower environmental and monetary cost with overall ranges comparable to gasoline-only vehicles.
Charging a Plug-In Hybrid EV
As the name implies, PHEVs need to be plugged into a charger since they don’t use braking to recharge their batteries. They can use most charging options, from Level 1 to Level 3. But there’s more to consider.
Level 1 charging can be done with a standard 120-volt household outlet but it’s slow, often only one mile of charge per hour or 8-10 miles with an overnight charge. While that may be suitable for short trips to the grocery store or getting the kids to and from school, it falls short for many commutes.
Level 2 charging uses 240-volt household AC current to charge batteries to their full range in a matter of a few hours or less. If you’re away from home, commercial charging stations can juice you up in 20 minutes or so to keep you rolling for around a hundred miles, and home chargers will fill you up while you sleep (and electric rates are at their lowest).
Level 3 charging stations are only found at commercial charging stations. They use high-voltage DC current to pump up batteries much faster than the other two options, but they can be hard to find and are almost always the most expensive choice. And unless you have the right type of connector, you may be out of luck.
Home Charging: Three Wins in One
Home charging your EV of any type gives you convenience and savings, and with a PHEV, you add range and lower emissions for a winning trifecta. And Allstar Electrical Services offers expert advice and installation for your home EV charging. We’ve installed hundreds of EV charging stations of all types from homes to large commercial installations and are ready to help you place a winning bet on your EV future.
For details on how home charging stations work and save you money, see this article on the Allstar Electric website.
We’re Just a Call or Click Away
If you need a home charging station or any other electrical work, give Allstar Electrical Services a call at 303.399.7420 or visit our website. We’re top-rated by the Better Business Bureau and a preferred contractor by Angi’s Home Advisor®.
The pros at Allstar Electrical Services look forward to serving your electrical needs through the remainder of the year and for many more to come.