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Having an electric motor in your car does not necessarily mean that we drive in an electric car. Electric motors of various outputs have mild hybrids, hybrids and plug-in hybrids. The last variant has a relatively powerful engine, as well as a relatively large battery. Consequently, with such a car, it is not a problem to drive several tens of kilometers purely on electricity. This can be an interesting advantage mainly from an economic point of view. But plug-in hybrids aren’t always as perfect as they seem.
Charging mainly at home
As with conventional electric cars, plug-in hybrid vehicles are expected to be charged primarily at home. This is best overnight or during the day, when you are in no hurry and the car is recharged when it is parked at the house. Similarly, charging can take place at work, if there is a charger on the company’s premises for this purpose.
There are also public charging stations
In addition to home charging, there is also the option to use public charging stations. These can have different performance. The minimum standard today is 50 kW for DC (DC) or 22 kW for AC (alternating current). In practice, the charging power is a bit lower, but most importantly – it must be supported by the car itself. If its architecture is not adapted to this, it charges only at the speed it can handle. And this can be a problem for plug-in hybrid owners.
Only very slowly
Plug-in hybrids usually do not support particularly fast charging. The “fast” charging station connector is usually to be forgotten and only 22 kW AC must be selected. But even here, optimal charging performance cannot be expected. While in a modern electric car this connector can supply energy per hour for about 60 km, in the case of a plug-in hybrid it is about 25 km. What does this mean in practice? That during a classic purchase, the plug-in hybrid car can never be optimally recharged. It would take 2 hours to purchase to get tens of miles. During this time, a modern electric car on the DC connector manages to pump electricity for several hundred kilometers. And at some stations even completely free.
Zdroj: https://insights.leaseplan.co.uk/electric-vehicles/plug-in-hybrid-guide/
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