When does a &quot;range extender&quot; become a &quot;hybrid&quot;?
<p>Some companies sell their vehicles as &quot;hybrid&quot; vehicles, in that they take both an electric plug and fossil fuels to make them go. Some are referred to as &quot;Self Charging Hybrids&quot;, as they do not have an external electrical connection to charge the battery.</p>
<p>Other companies sell their vehicles as &quot;Electric Vehicles&quot; with a &quot;Diesel Range Extender&quot;. These take an external electrical connection to charge the battery, as well as diesel to fuel the range extender.</p>
<p>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 &quot;is not a hybrid, it's an EV with a range extender.&quot;</p>
<p>To the layperson, these could arguably seem like the same thing, as ultimately the &quot;Diesel Range Extender&quot; is, in reality, an Internal Combustion Engine.</p>
<p>Does the law constrain the way that auto manufacturers can characterize their vehicles and, if so, how?</p>
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<p>Specific company names excluded to mitigate the risk of slander.</p>

<p><strong>California</strong> (technically states that follow California emissions)</p>
<p>&quot;Range Extended Battery Electric Vehicle&quot; or &quot;BEVx&quot; 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).</p>
<p><a href="https://casetext.com/regulation/california-code-of-regulations/title-13-motor-vehicles/division-3-air-resources-board/chapter-1-motor-vehicle-pollution-control-devices/article-2-approval-of-motor-vehicle-pollution-control-devices-new-vehicles/section-19622-zero-emission-vehicle-standards-for-2018-through-2025-model-year-passenger-cars-light-duty-trucks-and-medium-duty-vehicles#:%7E:text=Download-,Section%201962.2%20%2D%20Zero%2DEmission%20Vehicle%20Standards%20for%202018%20through%202025,(a)ZEV%20Emission%20Standard." rel="nofollow noreferrer">Cal. Code Regs. tit. 13 § 1962.2</a></p>
<p>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.</p>

<p>The distinction being made is between a &quot;hybrid&quot; in which an internal combustion engine can directly power the wheels in addition to electric motors sometimes powering the wheels directly, and a &quot;range extender&quot; 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.</p>
<p>So, for example, used in this sense a Toyota Prius is a hybrid, while a Chevy Volt is an EV with a range extender.</p>
<p>The terminology is not uniform or consistent. The term &quot;hybrid&quot; has one sense that includes a &quot;range extender&quot; and another sense that does not.</p>

definition motor-vehicle transportation car