Top 10 Electric Vehicle terminology every one should know

Electric Vehicle terminology

• EV – Electric Vehicle. An Electric Vehicle (EV) is a vehicle that uses one or more electric motors or traction motors for propulsion. They may be powered through a collector system by electricity from off-vehicle sources, or may be self-contained with a battery, solar panels or an electric generator to convert fuel to electricity.

 

• BEV – 100% Battery-powered Electric Vehicle. Pretty self-explanatory, once you know the meaning of those three magic letters.

 

• HYBRID – A car that integrates a small battery and an electric motor to enhance the efficiency of the engine. The battery’s charge is maintained by the ICE (internal Combustion Engine) engine—it cannot be charged by plugging into an electrical supply. Hybrids can offer greater fuel economy than a traditional ICE but can only travel very short distances on electric power only.

 

• PHEV – Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle. You may have heard about hybrid vehicles. Same deal here, with PHEVs having capabilities to plug into an external power source for charging the car battery.

 

• EREV – Extended Range Electric Vehicle. Although the electric motor of a PHEV always drives the wheels of those vehicles, EREVs feature an auxiliary power unit, usually an internal combustion engine, that acts as a generator to recharge the battery when it runs out.

• EVSE – Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment. A safety protocol that enables two-way communication between the charging station and the electric vehicle. Basically, it controls the safe current flow between the charger and your EV. Simples.

 

• FAST CHARGE – Charging at a higher current than a domestic supply (about range of 7-22kW as opposed to 3kW). This will fully charge an average electric car in three to four hours.

 

• RANGE – The distance you can travel on pure electric power before the battery requires a recharge.

 

• CHARGING POINT – A location where electric vehicles can be plugged in and get charged. These can be at home, at work, or in publicly accessible locations.

 

• SOC – State of Charge. Refers to a display which shows you the remaining battery level in percentages.