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Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Terms
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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. |
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