Get to Know the Lingo - Electric Vehicle Edition

The language of the electric car is littered with acronyms and other jargon, creating a complicated, almost mystical air around the EV. But all is not as hard as it seems. Just read through our list of commonly used vehicle-related terms and you'll be an EV expert in no time.

EV / BEV / ZEV

EV simply means Electric Vehicle — an umbrella term for all sorts of vehicles running on electricity as opposed to other fuels like petrol, diesel, hydrogen, or muscle power. EVs tend to emit far fewer planet-warming greenhouse gases than conventional cars. Also in this family: BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle) — a vehicle powered by 100% battery with zero pollution — and ZEV (Zero Emission Vehicle).

HEV

Stands for Hybrid Electric Vehicle , or a car that contains both an internal combustion engine and an electric motor. The Toyota Prius is a good example. Hybrid cars are more efficient than gas-only cars, cutting down on both fuel and emissions, especially for inner city driving. An HEV will run a certain distance on electricity before the ICE takes over. The battery charges via Regenerative Braking (Regen) or by burning fuel.

PHEV

A Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle has a bigger battery than a standard hybrid, giving it more electric-only miles before the combustion engine kicks in. A PHEV's battery can be charged by driving the car or by plugging into a wall socket — the best of both worlds.

MHEV

A traditional car with a small battery that's too weak to actually move the car on its own — hence the name Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle . The battery assists the engine in certain functions, making it "mildly" less polluting than a standard ICE vehicle.

FCEV

A Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle runs on electricity provided by a fuel cell, usually fed by hydrogen and oxygen, emitting only water vapor. Also known as FCV (Fuel Cell Vehicle) or HFCV (Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle).

AFV / FFV / LPG

An Alternative Fuel Vehicle runs on fuel other than petrol or diesel. FCEVs, EVs, biodiesel, natural gas, propane, and ethanol vehicles all qualify. Biodiesel is made from vegetable oil, animal fat, or cooking grease and mixed with normal diesel into blends like B5 or B20. Ethanol is made from corn and blended with gasoline to power Flexible Fuel Vehicles (FFVs). Propane, also known as Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), has been in use for quite some time.

Regen

Stands for Regenerative Braking . Every time you use the brakes in an EV, a little electricity gets generated and put back into the battery. As you brake, you basically charge your car — a clever feedback loop that improves efficiency significantly over time.