How Electric Vehicles Differ From Hybrids
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A fully electric vehicle runs entirely on a battery and electric motor, with no petrol or diesel engine on board at all, meaning it produces no exhaust emissions during operation and must be recharged periodically from an external power source rather than refuelled at a bowser like a conventional car would be.
A hybrid vehicle instead combines a smaller battery and electric motor with a conventional combustion engine, using the electric component to assist during acceleration or low speed driving while the engine handles longer distances, refuelling conventionally rather than needing to be plugged in at all during its ordinary use.
Plug in hybrids sit between these two approaches, carrying a larger battery than a standard hybrid that can be charged externally and driven on electric power alone for a limited range, before the combustion engine takes over automatically once that stored charge is finally depleted on a longer trip.