In hybrid vehicles, I know the battery can be recharged using regenerative braking, but I also see them sometimes recharge the battery using the engine directly. Why would they do this? It seems like it would be better to use the motor just to move the vehicle. Why go gas -> engine -> battery -> wheels?
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From the earliest days of EV’s, getting a battery that was big enough was known to be a problem. A big battery was heavy and expensive, but a big battery was needed to provide the kind of range that customers said they wanted.
Also, it has taken time for enough factories to be built to produce enough of the batteries. Even though people wanted a battery with 300 miles of range, the vast majority of people drive less than 80 miles a day (40 miles to work, and 40 miles back).
Making an EV a hybrid helps in several ways. The battery only has to be big enough to travel 100 miles or so. This makes the battery smaller, lighter, and cheaper than a 300 mile battery. However, once in awhile a customer may want to drive much farther than 100 miles. That is what the engine is for. Its rarely used, and only on longer trips.
My son had a Chevy Volt hybrid. He was the perfect candidate. He drove 12 miles to work and 12 miles back, on all electric mode. Once a month he would take it farther on the weekend in order tp force the engine to fire up and run for a short while.
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