Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Terms

A-Z Glossary of Terms Related to Electric Vehicles

This table includes a brief summary of terms and abbreviations related to electric and hybrid vehicles, with links to further details of each definition.

If you spot an error or know a term we've missed, please tell us using the form at the foot of the table.

Term	Definition	Meaning
AFV	Alternative Fuel Vehicle	Any vehicle that runs on a fuel other than traditional petrol or diesel.
BEV	Battery Electric Vehicle	A vehicle with an electric motor powered entirely by batteries.
E-REV	Extended Range Electric Vehicle	Means exactly the same as EREV (below).
EREV	Extended Range Electric Vehicle	A type of plug-in electric vehicle that is powered by an electric motor, but which uses a small petrol or diesel generator to produce electricity to charge the battery when it is depleted. (Also known as E-REVs.)
EV	Electric Vehicle	The umbrella term for any kind of electrified vehicle.
FCEV	Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle	Electric vehicles that use a hydrogen fuel cell to power an electric motor, which drives the vehicle. (Also known as FCVs.)
FCV	Fuel Cell (Electric) Vehicle	Means exactly the same as FCEV (above).
HEV	Hybrid Electric Vehicle	A type of electric vehicle that uses either petrol or diesel fuel as the main power source for the engine, and also has a small electric motor which assists the internal combustion engine.
ICE	Internal Combustion Engine	The type of engine used to power most non-electric power-generating devices, including vehicles. An ICE works through igniting and combusting the fuel within the engine itself.
PEV	Plug-In Electric Vehicle	The blanket term for any electric vehicle with a plug socket. (Also sometimes called PIVs.)
PHEV	Plug-In Hybrid Vehicle	The type of electric vehicle that uses either petrol or diesel fuel to power the engine, and also has batteries to power an electric motor.
PIV	Plug-In Vehicle	Another way of saying PEV (above).
RE-EV	Range-Extended Electric Vehicle	Another way of saying EREV (above.)
REx	Range-Extended Electric Vehicle	Another way of saying EREV (above.)
RB	Regenerative Braking	A feature of electric vehicles that allows the kinetic energy generated through braking to be sent to the battery for use in powering the vehicle.
RPH	Range Per Hour	A metric by which the power of electric vehicle chargers is rated. RPH allows drivers to estimate how far they can go after a specific period of charging.
V2G	Vehicle to Grid	The concept of feeding the energy stored in an electric vehicle battery back into the grid.
V2X	Vehicle to Everything	Technology that allows a vehicle to communicate with traffic infrastructure, control systems, and other vehicles.