Earlier this week, Chevrolet announced that an iconic vehicle would be getting a major revamp. According to GM president Mark Reuss, the Corvette—America’s supercar—will evolve to accept electric motors. He announced on April 25 that an “electrified” model will launch next year, while an “electric” model will follow sometime after. Hopes are high that these battery-and-electric-motor-enhanced Corvettes are the proof that the future of EVs and hybrids won’t be a dull one.
The appeal of the Corvette in general is that it brings what was once only available in supercars to the larger middle-class masses. The C8-generation Corvette launched in 2020 is the first widely-available mid-engine supercar to carry the Corvette name, and its starting price of $60,900 is within reach of many buyers.
But the recent announcement raises a question that many might have: What’s the difference between a vehicle that’s electric, and one that’s electrified?
Broadly, under the umbrella of EVs, there are battery electric vehicles, hybrid-electric vehicles (sometimes called self-charging hybrids), and plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles. There are hundreds of new cars available today that fit into these three categories. Here’s how it all breaks down.
It’s electric
This one’s easy: Anything described as “electric” is going to pack a full battery electric powertrain. The defining feature of an electric car, of course, is that it uses no gasoline at all. While electric vehicles are nothing new, they have only become mainstream within the last decade, with the introduction of Nissan’s Leaf in 2010 and Tesla’s Model S in 2012. Today, electric vehicles come in all sorts of configurations, from large SUVs and pickup trucks like the GMC Hummer EV and Rivian R1T, down to compact sedans like Porsche’s Taycan and Hyundai’s Ioniq. These rides make use of a large battery capacity, delivering a range of 100 to 500 miles between charges, depending on the model.
It’s electrified
Meanwhile, hybrid electric vehicles have been widespread for nearly 20 years, with Toyota’s Prius being the most well-known example, though everything from a Dodge Ram pickup to Acura’s NSX sports car are available with hybrid drive. This type of vehicle typically does not carry a large battery pack, and cannot drive solely on electric power for any meaningful distance. The electric motor in a standard hybrid is generally only there to provide assistance to the gasoline engine. The goal in this case is largely to improve efficiency, though that comes at the cost of added complexity. Driving a hybrid electric vehicle means you’ll still be reliant on gasoline to get around, but hopefully burning less of it.
A plug-in hybrid-electric vehicle (PHEV) is similar to a standard hybrid, in that it has both a gasoline engine and at least one electric motor. The primary difference with PHEV architecture is that the electric motors are powerful enough to move the car in normal driving without the gasoline engine firing up, and these plug-ins usually have enough battery capacity onboard to power the electric motors for a dozen or more miles at a time.
[Related: What’s the difference between a sports car, a supercar, and a hypercar?]
Plenty of PHEVs are available on the mar