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Some companies sell their vehicles as "hybrid" vehicles, in that they take both an electric plug and fossil fuels to make them go. Some are referred to as "Self Charging Hybrids", as they do not have an external electrical connection to charge the battery.

Other companies sell their vehicles as "Electric Vehicles" with a "Diesel Range Extender". These take an external electrical connection to charge the battery, as well as diesel to fuel the range extender.

For example, when I was looking to purchase a fully electric vehicle recently, the salesperson for one manufacturer literally said to me, verbatim, that their vehicle "is not a hybrid, it's an EV with a range extender."

To the layperson, these could arguably seem like the same thing, as ultimately the "Diesel Range Extender" is, in reality, an Internal Combustion Engine.

Does the law constrain the way that auto manufacturers can characterize their vehicles and, if so, how?

Specific company names excluded to mitigate the risk of slander.

Jen
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James Geddes
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2 Answers2

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California (technically states that follow California emissions)

"Range Extended Battery Electric Vehicle" or "BEVx" means a vehicle powered predominantly by a zero emission energy storage device, able to drive the vehicle for more than 75 all-electric miles, and also equipped with a backup APU, which does not operate until the energy storage device is fully depleted, and meeting requirements in subdivision 1962.2(d)(5)(G).

Cal. Code Regs. tit. 13 ยง 1962.2

1962.2(d)(5)(G) requires the vehicle meet TZEV smog-forming emissions standards, including a 15 year/150,000 mile emissions warranty, 10 year battery warranty, and strict evaporative emissions standards.

user71659
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The distinction being made is between a "hybrid" in which an internal combustion engine can directly power the wheels in addition to electric motors sometimes powering the wheels directly, and a "range extender" in which an internal combustion engine is used to power a battery, but the electric motor is always the direct source of power for the wheels.

So, for example, used in this sense a Toyota Prius is a hybrid, while a Chevy Volt is an EV with a range extender.

The terminology is not uniform or consistent. The term "hybrid" has one sense that includes a "range extender" and another sense that does not.

ohwilleke
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