Charge-Depleting

Battery electric vehicles operate solely in this mode. Most plug-in hybrids operate in charge-depleting mode at startup, and switch to charge-sustaining mode after the battery has reached its minimum state of charge (SOC) threshold, exhausting the vehicle's all-electric range (AER). Although there is no technically mandated minimum all-electric range, future state and/or federal legislation may address this for policy purposes.

Another charge-depleting strategy is called blended mode, in which the engine supplements the battery during medium to heavy loads. Although this strategy does not include a purely all-electric mode, early NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) simulations indicate that similar fuel savings as compared to conventional plug-in hybrid battery discharge and charge strategies. One advantage of a blended mode is that it may afford the vehicle designer the opportunity to use a smaller and less costly battery pack and traction motor.

• Battery Lifetime Analysis and Simulation Tools Suite, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
• Enova Hybrid Drive Installed in First Production Hybrid School Buses
• AQMD Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle Technical Forum: Li-Ion Technically Ready, Manufacturing a Big Barrier
• Enova Offering its Hybrid Drive Systems for OEM or Retrofit Applications with Plug-In Option
• Plug-ins Progress
• Enova Systems Confirms Recent Awards Will Utilize Its Unique
• Mechanical Configurations of Hybrid Electric Vehicles Archived 2007-06-25 at the Wayback Machine
• Charge Sustaining and Charge Non-Sustaining Hybrids