The rise of plug-in hybrid cars and, especially, extended-range hybrids (EREV/REEV), introduces a new paradigm by offering the best of electrification with the flexibility of combustion. A fairly broad panorama, which is crucial for drivers to understand to properly use their vehicle and Take advantage of the savings options they have.
The Deepal G318 MAX ADVENTURE serves as an example to see how these vehicles can transform the experience of many, as it is a car that works with an electric motor that is propelled with that type of energy and also with fuel.
The world of hybrid vehicles covers different technologies and systems. As defined by the Royal Spanish Academy, A hybrid is one capable of running on both fuel and electricity. Under this general concept, there are the following main variants:
- MHEV (Mild Hybrid): They support the main combustion engine to reduce consumption, but cannot drive the vehicle themselves.
- HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle): They allow short trips in 100% electric mode and alternate between the gasoline and electric motors, recharging the battery mainly through regenerative braking.
- PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle): They have higher capacity batteries that are recharged on the network and allow entirely electric urban or short journeys; The heat engine can move the wheels when the electricity runs out.
- EREV/REEV (Extended Range Electric Vehicle): They introduce a decisive innovation: propulsion always comes from the electric motor, while the combustion engine only works as a generator to power or recharge the battery when it runs out, it never moves the vehicle directly. Where is the car presented by Deepal.
The system of an EREV is designed to mitigate one of the biggest fears of electric car users: the so-called “range anxiety.” Under normal conditions, The car drives using exclusively the energy stored in its high-capacity battery, which is recharged by plugging it into an electrical outlet, just like an electric vehicle.
When the battery reaches a low level, The gasoline engine comes into action, but it never drives the wheels. Its only function is to drive a generator that supplies electricity to the electric motor and, in case of surplus, recharges the battery.
Thus, driving remains electric without interruptions, even if the charge runs out and there is no charging point at hand. Any conventional service station is enough to continue the trip, since the heat engine assumes the role of generator until the car can be reconnected to an electrical source.
This system makes the operating range extended, ideal for long road trips or rural areaswhere the charging infrastructure has not yet been consolidated.
Additionally, the transition between all-electric and extended range modes is imperceptible to the driver. “The transition process is carried out automatically and practically imperceptible to the driver,” he assured Infobae, Juan Carlos López, general manager of Deepal in Colombia.
The proposal of extended range plug-in hybrids translates into tangible savings and use advantages. Permanent propulsion by electric motor reduces fuel consumption in most situationsespecially in urban environments.
Daily trips and trips can be covered in electric mode, which considerably reduces the cost of gasoline and the expense derived from conventional mechanical maintenance. since the wear of the combustion engine is minimal.
In long-range scenarios, the system allows you to continue using the car without the typical restrictions of pure electric vehicles and without the uncertainty of charging. Economic savings are also reflected in tax incentives and subsidies for efficient vehicles and the lowest cost per kilometer traveledboth in energy and maintenance.
Taking the example of the G318 MAX ADVENTURE, the vehicle offers 840 kilometers of combined autonomy and 140 kilometers with only the electric motor, by having a 35 kWh lithium ferrophosphate battery and the 1.5 liter turbo generator, which ensure that the user does not depend strictly on refills or gasolinebut rather that you have both alternatives as appropriate.
