Hybrid (self-charging)

A self-charging hybrid, known in the market as a full hybrid or HEV (hybrid electric vehicle), combines a combustion engine with an electric motor and a small traction battery, without a charging connection. The battery is filled on the move by the combustion engine and by braking energy (regenerative braking); you therefore do not need to plug the car in.

In practice a full hybrid can drive short stretches purely electrically, especially when pulling away and at low speed in urban traffic. That is also where the biggest consumption gain sits: on urban trips the consumption often falls clearly below that of a comparable petrol car. On the motorway the combustion engine runs almost continuously and the advantage drops back to a few percent.

A full hybrid is not an EV and not a PHEV. The electric range is limited, usually to a few kilometres and low speed, and the WLTP statement is a weighted value without utility-factor correction. See hybrid types for the distinction with mild hybrid and plug-in hybrid.