# Electric and hybrid vehicles

Vehicles driven by electric motors from batteries, and hybrids that combine an engine with a battery.

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_evs/

Conversion and use · Transport systems · No. 112

- Conversion and use
 Conversion and use · Transport systems · Foundation · Energy

One in four new cars sold in 2025 was electric, and in China nearly 70% of battery cars now undercut petrol ones.

Chart: Illustration: Electric and hybrid vehicles

##### Where it comes from

Chart: Map of where it comes from

Charging pushes lithium ions into the graphite anode; driving lets them flow back while an inverter spins the motor. Braking runs the motor as a generator, reusing about 22% of socket energy.

##### Three things to know

1. CATL and BYD made over half of all EV batteries fitted in 2025, and China built over 80% of battery cells.
2. Charging from a household socket can waste almost 25% of the electricity, against under 7% at a wallbox (ADAC, 2026).
3. A hydrogen fuel-cell car gets only 25-35% of renewable electricity to the wheels, against 70-80% for a battery car.

##### The journey

1. 1 **Grid socket**Alternating current from wallbox or plug
2. 2 **Charger**Converts to direct current, about 90% efficient
3. 3 **Battery pack**Lithium ions stored in a graphite anode
4. 4 **Inverter, motor**Three-phase current spins the motor
5. 5 **Wheels**Braking sends energy back to the battery

##### Go deeper pick a tab to open it in full

## Other sections

- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_evs/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_evs/correlation/index.md)
- [Science and limits](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_evs/science/index.md)
- [Value chain](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_evs/valuechain/index.md)
- [Unit economics](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_evs/economics/index.md)
- [Engineering methods](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_evs/methods/index.md)
- [Equipment and suppliers](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_evs/equipment/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_evs/links/index.md)