Some varieties of HEV use an internal combustion engine to turn an electrical generator, which either recharges the vehicle's batteries or directly powers its electric drive motors this combination is known as a motor–generator. Modern HEVs make use of efficiency-improving technologies such as regenerative brakes which convert the vehicle's kinetic energy to electric energy, which is stored in a battery or supercapacitor. The most common form of HEV is the hybrid electric car, although hybrid electric trucks (pickups and tractors), buses, boats and aircraft also exist. There is a variety of HEV types and the degree to which each function as an electric vehicle (EV) also varies. The presence of the electric powertrain is intended to achieve either better fuel economy than a conventional vehicle or better performance. The Toyota Prius is the world's best selling hybrid car, with cumulative global sales of 5 million units up until September 2022 A New Flyer XDE60 Xcelsior articulated hybrid-electric bus operated by MBTAĪ hybrid electric vehicle ( HEV) is a type of hybrid vehicle that combines a conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) system with an electric propulsion system ( hybrid vehicle drivetrain). For the electromagnetic transmission modes, see Mode (electromagnetism).
