EV Glossary
A to Z of EVs
BEV
Battery Electric Vehicle - a vehicle that is 100% powered by batteries that are charged in various ways (home, work, car parks, public sites and so on)
EV
Electric Vehicle - a general term for cars powered by batteries, not liquid fuels such as petrol or diesel
FFV
Fossil Fuel Vehicle - an abbreviation sometimes used to cover petrol/diesel cars
HEV
Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle - a car that has both a conventional liquid fuel tank and a battery pack that allows electric-only mobility over a short range typically 50km (30 miles).
ICE Vehicle
Internal Combustion Engine car - the most common current car that runs on liquid fuels (petrol / diesel) that are burnt (combusted) to provide mobility
kWh
Kilowatthour - a standard measure of energy to compare electric cars and petrol/diesel cars: electric cars are typically 4-5 times more efficient on this measure
Mild Hybrid
Similar to a HEV, but with a smaller motor and more limited ability to increase liquid fuel efficiency.
PHEV
Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle - a car that has both a conventional liquid fuel tank and a battery pack that allows electric-only mobility over a short range typically 50km (30 miles).
ULEV
Ultra-Low Emission Vehicle - a precise UK government term meaning any car that emits from its tail-pipe less than 75g of CO2 per km of travel in 2020, and less than 50g of CO2 per km of travel per km of travel in 2021. These vehicles have access to all low-emission zones, and benefit from many tax/ cost benefits.
V2G
Vehicle to Grid (V2G) - the ability to charge your electric car back to the grid for money eg overnight. Several companies now offer this service.
ZEV
Zero-emission electric vehicle - an alternative abbreviation to BEVs, making explicit the vehicle does not use any liquid fuel or emit CO2