Automakers use some confounding terminology to describe their lineups. What some companies call a "mild hybrid" another may call an "electrified powertrain." Blame malicious corporate scheming or well-intended attempts at differentiation, the result is the same: You may be confused about what an electrified, "mild-hybrid," PHEV or EV is, exactly. Let's clear that up.
Each term is important, but here I'm going to focus on the difference between "electrified" and "electric." To do that, though, I'm going to have to talk about a few other terms you may not understand—including mild hybrids, plug-in hybrids, parallel hybrids and fuel-cell electric vehicles. I'll define those, too, since you might as well learn more while you're here. But if you don't need to learn the full gamut of terms and just want the simple answer, you can stop reading after the first three sections.
Why This Matters
Usage of "electrified" has lead consumers to incorrect beliefs about which companies are making the biggest strides in the EV market. A study found that a majority of people surveyed around the world think "electrified" means "100% electric," which isn't true. This belief—and marketing that leans on "electrified" terminology—has helped convince Americans that Honda and Toyota are two of the biggest electric car brands, per the same study. In truth, Honda and Toyota were two of the last companies to launch long-range EVs, and are far behind companies like General Motors, Ford and Volkswagen in both overall EV sales and EV sales as a proportion of their total sales figures.
Electrified: Broad, But Not Meaningful
"Electrified" typically means that a car has an electric motor somewhere in its powertrain. How big and important that motor is, however, varies wildly based on the sub-category of vehicle. For instance, some vehicles use traditional internal-combustion motors with small electric motors, called "integrated starter generators." These small motors provide a "torque fill" role, occasionally providing a bit of extra oomph to help out the internal combustion engine, but the weak integrated starter-generator and small battery mean the car never runs on electric power alone.
It's a gas car, but slightly more efficient. That's one end of the scale. At the other are electric vehicles, or EVs. EVs, as typically referenced, run purely on electricity. In between there are a bunch of categories—including mild hybrids (MHEVs), plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), parallel hybrids (HEVs), extended-range electric vehicles (EREVs) and fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). I'll define all of those further down, but they're all "electrified."
The simple rule of thumb: If it's got an electric motor, no matter how small and no matter if there are other power sources, it's "electrified."
Electric Vehicles:
Electric vehicles, often abbreviated EVs (sometimes BEVs, for battery electric vehicles) are powered solely by electricity. While many terms contain EV—including PHEV and FCEV—it's "EV" as a standalone or "BEV" that describe an electric car. These are the Teslas, the Rivians, the Lucids, the Ford Mustang Mach-Es, the Hyundai Ioniq 5s and the Kia EV6s of the world. They don't have any tailpipe emissions, and they run purely on the electricity stored in their batteries. They don't use another fuel—either gasoline or hydrogen—to generate electricity on board.
If it doesn't take any fossil fuel or hydrogen and runs purely on power from its own battery, it's an EV, or an electric car.
What are all the other types of electrified cars
Electric cars are the ones we pay the most attention to, but the catch-all "electrified" term contains the following sub-categories. Think of it as a spectrum, containing everything from cars that use puny electric motors for a 10% efficiency gain all the way up to and including cars that never burn gas. I'll start at the mild end of the spectrum, and end in the spicy world of all-electric cars.
Mild Hybrid Vehicles (rarely called MHEVs):
These vehicles contain small electric motor-generators, usually in the transmission or between it and the gas engine. The small motor can recuperate energy from the wheels and deploy small amounts of energy to assist the engine when it needs extra oomph, such as when changing gears or starting from a stop. Most mild hybrids cannot run on electric power alone for any period of time. They typically will, however, shut down the gas engine at a stop and use the integrated starter-generator to quickly re-fire it when pulling away.
Examples include all current non-PHEV Volvos, Ram 1500s with "eTorque" branding and many gas-burning Mercedes and BMW vehicles.
Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV):
Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) combine an internal combustion engine with a battery pack and an electric motor capable of low-speed operation on its own. These are what you probably think of when you hear the term "hybrid," and have existed in the U.S. since the first Honda Insight arrived in the early 2000s. Conventional hybrids do not get plugged in. They recapture energy using regenerative brakes and get charged by the engine itself, then deploy that energy to assist their gasoline engines. They can operate in electric mode with the internal combustion engine off at low speeds and for short periods, but a majority of driving happens with the engine running.
Examples include the Toyota Prius (all generations, but not the Prius Prime), Honda Accord Hybrid, Ford Maverick Hybrid and Ford F-150 PowerBoost.
Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV):
PHEVs are hybrids with larger batteries and the ability to plug in and recharge directly from an outlet or charging station. This gives them enough energy to do far more mileage on electricity alone, often between 20 and 40 miles. They can also run in EV mode at higher speeds. Managed well and charged nightly, many provide enough juice for the average American to never need gas for their commute. Yet when the battery is low, PHEVs still have internal-combustion engines to either generate electricity for the electric drivetrain or, in some cases, drive the wheels directly.
Examples include the Toyota Prius Prime, Toyota Rav4 Prime, Chevrolet Volt, BMW XM, Jeep Wrangler 4xe and Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid.
Conclusion
There are more types of "electrified" vehicles, including hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and the nebulously defined EREV, but EVs, HEVs, MHEVs and PHEVs are the most common. All of these vehicles are "electrified," but hopefully you now know how insubstantial that moniker is. I find that the automakers who lean on it the most are the ones offering the fewest EVs.
That's fine, as not everyone is ready for an EV. But consumers need to know what they're shopping for. You don't want to walk into a dealership looking for an "EV" and end up with a V-8 Ram 1500 with a tiny starter-generator nestled deep within its gas-burning bowels. Now, you don't have to worry about that. When the salesman starts hitting you with acronyms, hopefully you'll be able to keep your head on straight.
