"Mild" hybrid electric vehicle which is just using a oversized starter to break and then drive any accessories instead of the motor.

And EREV, the only hybrid that makes sense.

Is that extended range? I was reading about them the other day. A small ICE engine in the car but it only charges the battery, right? Basically the opposite of a Toyota hybrid.

Yes, also known as a series hybrid, though EREV has become the dominant term in my experience. Nearly all hybrids on the market today or at any time in the past have been parallel hybrids, where the electric and gas motors both attach to the drivetrain. BMW did make an EREV version of the i3. Chevy made the Volt, which was almost a series hybrid, but in the end still parallel.

The new Civic hybrid is a series hybrid. It puts down 200hp and does 0-60 in 6 seconds, all while getting 50mpg. It combines the torque of an electric motor with an Atkinson cycle engine, which is known for better efficiency but worse torque, as a generator. And it clocks in around 3200lb, a bit more than a classic Civic, but far lower than any BEV.

The slight compromise is at constant highway cruising speeds, it may let the engine take over, since the efficiency calculus likely is more favorable in those conditions. It uses a clutch to do this, and only has a single gear ratio, rather than the messy setup of typical parallel hybrids.

I would still call that a parallel hybrid, because it has the mechanical bits to connect the gas motor to the wheels, even if only when on the highway. I would guess that Toyota enthusiasts would be quick to point out that the Toyota parallel hybrid design is pretty elegant and ends up being more reliable, not less. But I'm not a Toyota enthusiast.

where ER = Extended Range EV

That’s like Pedal Assist I…

Mild Hybrid… pfffft.

"Must heve"?

"Mild Hybrid". Slight boost. I don't know of any on the market, but I'm sure they're there.

I've driven one. Zipcar UK (RIP!) had a few Fiat 500 Hybrids and I ended up with one once when every other nearby Zipcar was booked and I had a last minute need for a car.

Given they are a relatively gutless car to begin with (1 litre 3 cylinder 70hp tinpot engine) I did wonder what the zigzag/lightning icon was on the dash so I googled it.

Turns out the system uses a 11Ah lithium battery that lives under the driver/passenger seat that charges through regenerative braking. It gives a small boost during acceleration (mostly at low speeds so it's more for stop-start urban driving), I think it's not much more than a glorified belt around the crankshaft giving a few extra hp.

No appreciable benefit to it that I could feel, but if it's helping us burn fewer dinosaurs then that's all good. (It's still a car but much better than a massive wankpanzer.)

There's a mild hybrid Qashqai. A friend of mine hired one and drove it into a bus.

This thread is some deadpan comedy gold.

Ford Puma [1] is available as a mild hybrid.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Puma_(crossover)

Ram 1500 eTorque is one.