EV Glossary

Below is a solid list of acronyms or phrases common within the EV world.

Car types

EV – Electric Vehicle, a vehicle which is powered by an electric motor.
BEV – Battery Electric Vehicle, a vehicle which runs purely on battery power.
PHEV – Plugin Hybrid Electric Vehicle, a vehicle which is similar to a traditional hybrid, powered by both a traditional combustion engine and electric motor with the ability to also plug-in to charge, e.g. Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid
REX – Range Extended Electric Vehicle, an electric vehicle which also has a small petrol powered generator that can charge the battery thereby extending it’s range, e.g. BMW i3 with Range Extender

CP – Charge point, the “charger” itself is typically part of the on-board vehicle electrical system, the unit which the car plugs into is commonly known as a Charge Point
EVSE – Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment, also more commonly known as a Charge Point
SCP – Standard/Slow charge point, an on-street or home charge point, typically supplying 16 or 32 Amp (3.3kw or 6.6kw) AC which the vehicle’s on-board charge point then converts to DC in order charge the main traction battery.
FCP – Fast Charge Point, also known as a DC charge point or Rapid Charge point. Typically these can charge an Electric Vehicle much faster at up to 50kw.
AC – Alternating Current, the most common form of electrical power used in residential and commercial settings
DC – Direct Current, power stored in batteries is stored as DC
Chademo – Type of charger socket, delivering up to 400kW via DC
Type 2 – Common charger socket found in domestic 7/11kW charge points
CCS – Combination Charger Socket, commonly found in rapid charging public infrastructure points
Amps – Measurement of electric current
Watt – Measurement of consumption of energy