martinjlm
Retired from GM
Only because I get paid to make these distinctions…Sorry, I actually meant the E-Ray not the Z06. But from what I hear on the Corvette forums they are still not sure if the E-Ray is a mild hybrid or PHEV. The last spied version had no visible charging port, so some people think its just a mild hybrid.
Mild Hybrid: Typically low voltage as far as hybrids go. Most are 48V. Some of the older ones were 108V. They are not capable of moving the car with the engine off. They are capable of fuel saving through early shut-off on decel. They are capable of providing mild assist for short periods of time during acceleration. Battery is typically < 1.0 kWh. Examples - Saturn Vue Hybrid, Ram 1500 TorqueAssist
Full Hybrid: What most people think of when they say “hybrid”. Capable of moving the vehicle at low speed with the ICE off. In more modern examples also capable of enabling AWD. (<— hint). Also able to provide additional acceleration assist. The RAV4 hybrid is one of the quickest Toyota’s available outside of Supra. Battery is typically > 1.0 kWh. Usually under 2.0 but there are some larger. Examples - Toyota Prius, RAV4, Ford Explorer
Plug-In Hybrid: Same as Full Hybrid, but with a plug. And a much bigger battery. Typically 8 - 20 kWh. Can drive high speeds with engine off, as long as there is sufficient charge. Can enable a greater range of AWD than Full. Can be focused towards performance. Examples - Porsche Panamera, Lincoln Aviator, Toyota RAV4.
E-Ray (I soooo hate that name) will not be a mild hybrid. The only reason for mild hybrid is marginal fuel economy improvement. Not a lot of performance gain to be had. It will most likely not be a plug-in hybrid because there’s just not room for a big battery, an on-board charger and a larger inverter, and all the cooling that needs to go along with it. Full hybrid makes sense, because the battery is small enough to package, has enough capacity to allow for quiet mode low speed driving, and can enable AWD.
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