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EV charging glossary

Vehicle types

MHEV, or mild hybrid

A mild hybrid electric vehicle, or MHEV, uses a small electric motor and battery to assist a petrol or diesel engine but cannot be charged from an external EV charge point.

The engine remains the mechanical source that drives the vehicle. Mild-hybrid systems can recover energy during braking and use the motor-generator to assist the engine, restart it or support electrical loads.

Many current systems use a 48 V electrical architecture, although MHEV design is not defined by one voltage alone. An MHEV has no plug-in charging requirement.

That separates it from a PHEV, which has a larger externally rechargeable traction battery.

Read more EV market and adoption

Related terms

PHEV

Regenerative braking
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