If you look around you will see that more and more cars on the road are electric. In the Netherlands, the number of vehicles with an electric drive has already reached more than 725,000. But what does driving electric actually mean? What types of electric cars are there? In this article we will tell you everything you need to know.
What does driving electric mean?
Where a fuel car is powered by a gasoline or diesel engine, an electric car is powered by an electric motor. Refueling is therefore done by means of a plug and a so-called charging station. In addition to fully electric cars, there are also cars that are partially electrically powered.
Four types of electric cars
When it comes to electric cars, you can currently distinguish four types. We briefly discuss them below.
Fully electric
A fully electric car is powered by one or more electric motors. The energy used to drive these motors comes from a battery, which can be charged via a charging station.
Plug-in hybrid
A plug-in hybrid involves a combination of an electric motor and an internal combustion engine. The battery of a plug-in hybrid is smaller than that of an all-electric car. The battery of the plug-in hybrid is smaller than that of a fully electric car. While driving, you charge the battery through the combustion engine. This is often not quite enough, so a plug-in hybrid can also be plugged in at a charging station.
Hybrid
Like the plug-in hybrid, a hybrid has both an electric motor and an internal combustion engine. For the most efficient and environmentally conscious drive possible, the car itself switches between the two engines. The battery of a hybrid car is usually smaller than that of a plug-in hybrid.
Hydrogen
This version of the electric car is still rarely seen. Unlike the battery pack of a ‘normal’ electric car, a hydrogen car gets its energy from a fuel cell. In the fuel cell, hydrogen and oxygen are combined to form water. Electricity is released in the process. This electricity can, of course, be used to power the electric motor.
Charging
These days it is possible to charge electric cars all over the Netherlands. The Netherlands is ahead of the game, but on the basis of enriched EV charging data, the EV charging infrastructure is improving by the day. It is therefore increasingly possible to travel throughout Europe in an electric car.
