EV Glossary

Last updated: October 4, 2026 · 80 terms

A quick reference for the terms used throughout Electricarly's spec pages and guides. For deeper explanations, see What Is an EV?, How EV Charging Works, and How to Read EV Specs.

Jump to: Vehicle types · Energy, power & range · Driving & technology · Charging · Batteries · Grid & power sharing

Vehicle types

EV (Electric Vehicle): An umbrella term for any vehicle that uses one or more electric motors for propulsion. Depending on context it may mean only plug-in vehicles (BEVs and PHEVs) or also include hybrids and fuel cell vehicles.
BEV: Battery Electric Vehicle. Runs entirely on electricity from a battery pack, with no combustion engine and no tailpipe.
PHEV: Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle. Combines a gasoline engine with a rechargeable battery large enough for a meaningful electric-only range.
HEV: Hybrid Electric Vehicle. Combines a gasoline engine with a small battery that cannot be plugged in and recharges only through driving.
MHEV (Mild Hybrid): A combustion vehicle with a small motor-generator and battery, often on a 48V system, that assists the engine and smooths stop-start but cannot drive the car on electricity alone.
eREV: Extended-Range Electric Vehicle. Always driven by an electric motor; a small onboard combustion engine only generates electricity, never turning the wheels directly.
FCEV: Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle. Uses hydrogen and a fuel cell stack to generate electricity on board, rather than storing energy in a large battery.
ZEV (Zero-Emission Vehicle): A regulatory category for vehicles with no tailpipe emissions, typically BEVs and FCEVs. Some programs also give partial credit to PHEVs.
Dedicated EV platform: A vehicle architecture designed from the start around a battery and motors, as opposed to a conversion of a platform originally built for combustion engines. It often allows a flat floor and more interior space.

Energy, power & range

kWh (kilowatt-hour): A unit of energy. Used to describe battery capacity — how much energy the pack can store, similar to a fuel tank's size.
kW (kilowatt): A unit of power. Used to describe motor output or charging speed — how fast energy is delivered or used.
Gross vs. usable capacity: Gross (total) capacity is all the energy the pack can physically hold. Usable (net) capacity is the portion the driver can actually access; the rest is held in reserve to protect the battery.
Torque: Rotational force from the motor. Electric motors deliver peak torque almost instantly, which is why EVs feel quick off the line.
Range: The distance a vehicle can travel on a full charge, typically quoted under a standardized test cycle such as EPA, WLTP, or CLTC.
EPA range: A US range rating from the Environmental Protection Agency, generally the most conservative of the major standards.
WLTP range: A range rating used across Europe and other regions, typically higher than the equivalent EPA figure for the same car.
CLTC range: A range rating standard used in China, typically the most optimistic of the major test cycles.
Efficiency (mi/kWh or kWh/100km): How much range a vehicle gets per unit of battery energy used — the EV equivalent of miles-per-gallon. A higher mi/kWh figure, or a lower kWh/100km figure, is more efficient.
MPGe: Miles per gallon-equivalent. A US measure that expresses how far a vehicle travels on the amount of energy contained in one gallon of gasoline (about 33.7 kWh), allowing EVs to be compared with gasoline cars.
Range anxiety: The colloquial term for a driver's concern about running out of charge before reaching a charger.
Drag coefficient (Cd): A measure of how aerodynamically efficient a car's shape is; lower values reduce energy use, especially at highway speed.
Rolling resistance: The force that tires exert against forward motion. Low-rolling-resistance tires improve efficiency and range.
Payload / towing derate: The reduction in usable range that occurs when a vehicle is carrying heavy cargo or towing a trailer.
Preconditioning: Warming or cooling the battery and cabin before driving or before a fast-charging stop, ideally while still plugged in, to preserve range and speed up charging.

Driving & technology

Regenerative braking: Using the electric motor as a generator while slowing down, converting the car's momentum back into stored battery energy instead of wasting it as heat.
One-pedal driving: A setting with strong regenerative braking, letting the driver speed up and slow down, often to a full stop, using mainly the accelerator pedal.
Inverter: Power electronics that convert the battery's direct current (DC) into alternating current (AC) for the motor and control its speed and torque.
Permanent-magnet synchronous motor (PMSM): A very common EV motor type that uses magnets in the rotor, offering high efficiency and power density.
Induction motor: An AC motor that creates its rotor magnetic field by induction rather than permanent magnets. Robust and magnet-free, though often slightly less efficient at light loads.
Single-speed transmission: A fixed reduction gear used by most EVs, since electric motors deliver useful torque across a very wide range of speeds.
AWD / dual motor: A layout with a motor on each axle, giving all-wheel drive without a mechanical driveshaft between them.
Torque vectoring: Adjusting the power sent to individual wheels to improve traction and handling, made easier in EVs with multiple motors.
DC-DC converter: Steps high-voltage battery power down to 12V to run lights, infotainment, and other accessories.
Heat pump: A climate system that moves heat rather than generating it, using less energy than a resistive heater and helping preserve range in cold weather.
Thermal management: The heating and cooling system that keeps the battery, motors, and electronics within their ideal temperature range.
AVAS (Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System): A sound emitted at low speeds so pedestrians can hear a quiet EV approaching, required in many regions.
Frunk: A front trunk — storage space under the hood that is available in some EVs because there is no engine there.
OTA update (Over-the-Air): A software update delivered wirelessly to the vehicle, which can add features or improve efficiency and charging without a visit to the dealer.

Charging

EVSE (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment): The proper name for a charging station or wall box. It supplies power safely to the car, which handles the actual charging.
Level 1 / 2 / 3 charging: A common shorthand for charging speed tiers: Level 1 (standard household outlet), Level 2 (dedicated 240V AC charger), and Level 3 / DC fast charging (high-power public DC stations).
AC charging: Charging with alternating current from the grid. The car's onboard charger converts it to DC, so the onboard charger limits the speed.
DC fast charging: High-power charging that feeds direct current straight to the battery, bypassing the car's onboard AC charger, enabling much faster charging than a home outlet.
Onboard charger: The component inside the car that converts AC power from a wall outlet or Level 2 charger into DC power the battery can store; its maximum rating caps how fast AC charging can go.
Charging curve: A graph of how charging power changes as the battery fills. Most EVs charge fastest at low-to-mid state of charge and slow considerably as they approach full.
10–80% charge time: A common benchmark for DC fast charging speed, since charging typically slows beyond 80%.
State of charge (SoC): How full the battery is, expressed as a percentage.
Depth of discharge (DoD): How much of the battery's capacity has been used, the opposite of state of charge.
C-rate: Charging or discharging power relative to battery size. A 1C rate would fill the battery in about one hour, while 2C would take about thirty minutes.
CCS (Combined Charging System): A charging connector standard that adds DC fast-charging pins to an AC plug, widely used in North America (CCS1) and Europe (CCS2).
NACS (North American Charging Standard): Originally Tesla's connector, now standardized as SAE J3400 and increasingly adopted across North America for both AC and DC charging.
J1772 (Type 1): The AC connector long used in North America and Japan, and the basis for the CCS1 fast-charging connector.
Type 2 (Mennekes): The standard AC connector in Europe and many other regions, and the basis for the CCS2 connector.
CHAdeMO: An early Japanese DC fast-charging standard, now mostly limited to older EVs and Japan's domestic market.
GB/T: The national charging standard in China, covering both AC and DC charging.
Plug & Charge (ISO 15118): A feature that lets a compatible car authenticate and pay automatically when plugged in, without an app or card.
CPO (Charge Point Operator): The company that owns or runs charging stations. Roaming agreements and apps let drivers use multiple operators' networks.
Load management: Dynamically adjusting charging power to avoid overloading a home's or building's electrical supply.
Time-of-use (TOU) rate: An electricity tariff with lower prices at certain times, often overnight, which many EV owners use to schedule cheaper charging.
Inductive (wireless) charging: Charging through a pad on the ground that transfers energy to a receiver under the car with no cable.
Battery swapping: Exchanging a depleted battery for a charged one at a dedicated station, taking only a few minutes.

Batteries

Lithium-ion battery: The rechargeable battery technology used in nearly all modern EVs, storing energy by moving lithium ions between electrodes.
NMC battery: Nickel Manganese Cobalt — a lithium-ion battery chemistry favoring high energy density, common in longer-range EVs.
NCA battery: Nickel Cobalt Aluminum — a high-energy-density lithium-ion chemistry similar to NMC, used by some manufacturers.
LFP battery: Lithium Iron Phosphate — a lithium-ion battery chemistry favoring durability and lower cost, common in standard-range EVs.
Solid-state battery: A developing battery type that replaces the liquid electrolyte with a solid one, aiming for higher energy density, faster charging, and improved safety.
Sodium-ion battery: A battery using sodium instead of lithium. Potentially cheaper and made from abundant materials, though generally lower in energy density.
Cell, module & pack: Cells are the basic units, modules are groups of cells, and the pack is the complete assembly. Cell-to-pack designs skip modules to save space and cost.
Battery management system (BMS): Electronics that monitor each cell's voltage and temperature, balance the pack, and protect it from damage.
Battery degradation: The gradual, normal loss of a battery's maximum usable capacity over time and charge cycles.
State of health (SoH): The battery's current maximum capacity compared with when it was new, usually shown as a percentage.
Charge cycle: One full discharge and recharge of a battery's capacity, which can be accumulated across several partial charges.
Battery warranty: A manufacturer guarantee, often covering a set number of years or miles and a minimum capacity retention threshold.
400V / 800V architecture: The nominal voltage of the battery system. Higher-voltage systems can charge faster with less heat and lighter wiring.
Second-life battery: A used EV battery repurposed for another job, such as stationary energy storage, before it is recycled.
Battery recycling: Recovering valuable materials such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, and copper from end-of-life batteries to make new ones.

Grid & power sharing

Bidirectional charging: Charging that can flow in both directions, allowing the car to both draw power and send it back out.
V2G (Vehicle-to-Grid): Technology that lets an EV send stored energy back into the electrical grid, potentially helping balance demand or providing backup power.
V2H (Vehicle-to-Home): Using an EV's battery to power a house, for example during an outage or to avoid peak electricity prices.
V2L (Vehicle-to-Load): The ability to use an EV's battery to power external devices or appliances directly, similar to a portable generator.
Smart charging: Scheduling or adjusting charging automatically based on electricity price, grid conditions, or renewable energy availability.

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