Buying an electric car is not an easy task. Choosing between the brands and then different options and trying to work out which one offers the biggest bang for the buck can give anyone a headache. Then there is charging – are there any public chargers where you live and drive? Can you charge at home? What if the answer to the last two questions is a resounding no? Can PHEV be an option? What about an EREV?
EREV or Extended Range Electric Vehicle explained
EREV is a slightly different take on the well known PHEV – both have electric motors and both are powered by batteries but that’s where the similarities end. The EREV uses a combustion engine purely as a generator and as such there is no connection between the engine and the drivetrain. Usually a gasoline engine, the generator has a sole purpose of charging up batteries when they run low.
Since the car comes with a charger built-in, there is no need for a large battery and usually these cars come with a battery pack no larger than 45 kWh. It is still big enough to offer a decent electric-only driving range compared to PHEVs. Some of the EREVs can travel on battery power for as much as 200 km. When the batteries run low, you’ll have two options – let the generator kick in or stop at a DC charger for a quick top-up.
That option is quite interesting, it means the EREV essentially works as an EV with the ability to recharge itself if there are no DC or AC chargers around. 200 km range is often enough for many drivers and having the generator onboard means peace of mind for longer trips or unexpected situations.
EREV vs PHEV
If both types of EVs have combustion engines – how do they differ? In essence, the EREV can be considered a next generation of PHEV. Disconnecting the gas-powered engine from the drivetrain means no need for complicated gearboxes and the engine itself can be run at constant revs, at its most efficient speed thus even further saving fuel.
The EREVs are usually far more powerful than PHEVs, it’s not unusual to see an EREV with as much as 300 kW of pure electric power. They are far more fun to drive thanks to their electric-only powertrain and the instant torque that comes with it. They obviously have a bigger electric-only driving range than PHEVs and can use DC fast chargers.
The downsides are the size – for now they are available as larger SUVs and crossovers as the manufacturers focus on that vehicle segment for now. It is hard to tell if this trend will change, the EREVs would have to become far more popular first. The other downside is the fact that some of the early EREVs are less fuel efficient than latest PHEVs and charging a car’s battery from an onboard generator can be more expensive than from a DC or AC charger.
Why even bother with an EREV?
These cars were specifically designed to offer – in theory – electric driving without the battery charging limitations. The arguably biggest stumbling block for wide adaptation of electric cars is simply the lack of charging infrastructure. EREVs remove that obstacle and offer a “stop-gap” so to speak – electric drive for as much as 1,200 km.