# How does a plug in hybrid car work? Does anyone own one?



## futureuberman (Feb 8, 2016)

It says they have something called e-range and you can drive like up to 15 miles solely on the battery. But do you always have to plug it in to get it charged or does it charge when you drive on gasoline just like the batteries on regular hybrid cars?


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## Himni (Feb 19, 2016)

Most work the same as a non-plugin hybrid. They also let you plug them in to recharge the batteries. So if you plug it in all the time you'll get better gas mileage.


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## RichR (Feb 12, 2016)

Himni said:


> Most work the same as a non-plugin hybrid. They also let you plug them in to recharge the batteries.


That's right. The plug-in hybrid is "the best of both worlds" (hybrid vs. electric car).


> So if you plug it in all the time you'll get better gas mileage.


Just get a reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally long extension cord and you're good to go!


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## PapaDug (Apr 29, 2015)

We have a Ford Fusion plug in electric, gets up to 23 miles on full charge before switching to gas. If you only use electric on streets and switch to gas at high speed it lasts longer. No it does not charge while driving, only regenerative while braking. We average over 80 mpg on commutes of 50 miles or less


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## jerseyboys (Jan 14, 2016)

The newer plug in has an option for the ICE to charge the battery while driving. Of course you will use more gas. I believe the new Impala does this.


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

RichR said:


> That's right. The plug-in hybrid is "the best of both worlds" (hybrid vs. electric car).
> 
> Just get a reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally long extension cord and you're good to go!


Put Honda generator in trunk . . .


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## Another Uber Driver (May 27, 2015)

Much depends on which brand you buy. Most of them are what other posters have described:  it will run on pure electric until the charge drops significantly, then it will function as a regular hybrid. There are one or two, and one of the Chevrolets is in this category, that have a constant speed gasolene engine that kicks in and feeds a steady charge to the battery, which, in turn, supplies electricity to turn the motor. 

The last concept is nothing new. Some of the early railroad diesel locomotives worked on a similar principle. They had huge and numerous wet cell batteries that would power the locomotive. When the charge dropped (which it did rather quickly--batteries were not that good in the late 1920s), a constant speed diesel engine would kick in and charge the batteries. At times, the engineer had to stop the locomotive altogether to allow the batteries to charge up sufficiently so that the locomotive could resume its work. Of course, these locomotives did not work trains that travelled any great distance. They worked trains in urban areas that delivered cars to businesses.


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## RichR (Feb 12, 2016)

tohunt4me said:


> Put Honda generator in trunk . . .


Sure! Then, add a fuel line from the car's gas tank to the generator and you're good to go, right!


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## Another Uber Driver (May 27, 2015)

RichR said:


> Sure! Then, add a fuel line from the car's gas tank to the generator and you're good to go, right!


Let us examine: fuel tank in the aft of most cars. Trunk in the aft.

Consider that in the late 1950s and 1960s, Volkswagen beetles delivered to colder climates had a catalytic heater in the front part (the trunk--recall that VW beetles had the engine in the aft). There was a line from the fuel tank (which also was in the front) to the catalytic heater. It even had its own spark plug.

Such an arrangement is not unprecedented.


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## Older Chauffeur (Oct 16, 2014)

I have a 2012 Prius Plugin. On a full charge, which takes about 2:20 hrs using a regular 120 volt outlet.I can drive roughly 12 miles around town. That's called EV Mode. Above 62 mph, or upon quick acceleration , it goes into Hybrid Mode using both the engine and the battery as needed. The system charges the battery as you drive, via the engine in Hybrid Mode and by recovering energy from braking in both modes. The Plugin Prius gets better mileage than a standard model due to the larger storage capacity of the Lithium Ion battery. I generally get around 67 mpg on longer freeway trips in traffic, and in the 80's when the in town EV Mode miles are figured in. Depending on the in town to freeway ratio, I usually get from 750 to 1000 miles per tank of about 11 gallons. YMMV.
GM originally claimed that an onboard generator charged the battery as you drove solely using electric power. When it came out that in truth the gasoline engine powers the wheels at times, GM said that they were just protecting their technology. The new Volt is supposed to do about 53 EV only miles on 13 hours at 120 volts, 4:30 hours at 240 volts. Pretty good specs in my opinion. The Ford plug ins are also impressive.
GM now seems to have focused on the Malibu for their hybrid technology rather than the mild hybrid Impala of past years. The Malibu isn't a plug in, but borrows from the Volt to get better hybrid mileage.


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