How often do you have to charge a hybrid car?
You don’t actually need to charge a hybrid car. Thanks to the magic of regenerative braking, they can charge themselves. As soon as you lift your foot off the accelerator – and when you push down on the brake pedal – regenerative braking uses the electric motor to capture energy that would normally be dissipated as heat. In this situation, the electric motor actually works as a generator, and sends energy back to the battery – so it can be used to power the vehicle later. Plug-in hybrids, which have larger batteries than conventional hybrids, come with a charging cable. Depending on the model, some plug-in hybrids can drive somewhere between 25 and 60 miles on electric power alone, enough for many daily commutes. It’s recommended that you recharge a plug-in hybrid overnight so that you can do as much of your driving as possible in electric mode.