cede7a No.509
Plug-in electric vehicle
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the more general category of electric drive for all type of vehicles, see electric vehicle. For the specific electric drive cars and SUVs, see electric car and plug-in hybrid.
This is a good article. Click here for more information.
The Nissan Leaf electric car (left) and the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid (right) are the world's best selling highway-capable plug-in electric vehicles.
A plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) is any motor vehicle that can be recharged from an external source of electricity, such as wall sockets, and the electricity stored in the rechargeable battery packs drives or contributes to drive the wheels. PEV is a superset of electric vehicles that includes all-electric or battery electric vehicles (BEVs), plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs), and electric vehicle conversions of hybrid electric vehicles and conventional internal combustion engine vehicles.[1][2][3]
Plug-in cars have several benefits compared to conventional internal combustion engine vehicles. They have lower operating and maintenance costs, and produce little or no local air pollution. They reduce dependence on petroleum and may reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the onboard source of power, depending on the fuel and technology used for electricity generation to charge the batteries. Plug-in hybrids capture most of these benefits when they are operating in all-electric mode. Despite their potential benefits, market penetration of plug-in electric vehicles has been slower than expected as adoption faces several hurdles and limitations. As of 2013, plug-in electric vehicles are significantly more expensive than conventional vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles due to the additional cost of their lithium-ion battery packs. Other factors discouraging the adoption of electric cars are the lack of public and private recharging infrastructure and, in the case of all-electric vehicles, drivers' fear of the batteries running out of energy before reaching their destination due to the limited range of existing electric cars. Plug-in hybrids eliminate the problem of range anxiety associated to all-electric vehicles, because the combustion engine works as a backup when the batteries are depleted, giving PHEVs driving range comparable to other vehicles with gasoline tanks.
Several national and local governments have established tax credits, subsidies, and other incentives to promote the introduction and adoption in the mass market of plug-in electric vehicles depending on their battery sife and all-electric range. The term "plug-in electric drive vehicle" is formally used in U.S. federal legislation to grant this type of consumer incentive. In China, plug-in electric vehicles are called new energy vehicles (NEVs), and only pure electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles are subject to purchase incentives.
As of October 2014, there are over 45 models of highway legal plug-in electric passenger cars available for retail sales. Global sales increased from 45,000 units in 2011 to 206,000 in 2013.[4] As of September 2014, more than 600,000 highway-capable plug-in electric passenger cars and light utility vehicles have been sold worldwide,[5] with the United States as the market leader with about 260,000 units delivered since 2008, representing 43.0% of global sales. Japan ranks second with over 95,000 units sold since 2009 (15.8%), followed by China with more than 77,000 units sold since 2010 (12.8%). Over 163,000 plug-in electric vehicles have been sold in the European market as of September 2014, representing 27.0% of global sales. Sales are led by the Netherlands with about 41,000 units registered, followed by France with almost 39,000 all-electric cars and light utility vans sold since 2010, and Norway with about 38,00 plug-in electric vehicles registered.[5] The Nissan Leaf is the world's top selling highway-capable all-electric car, with global sales of over 142,000 units by mid-October 2014,[6] followed by the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid, which together with its sibling the Opel/Vauxhall Ampera has combined sales of more than 83,600 units as of September 2014.[7](I READ IT ALL, MANG. BECAUSE I CARE.)