| Acronym |
Definition |
| AC |
Alternating Current: The standard type of electricity in homes and the most effective way of powering an EV. In AC circuit the voltage swings between positive and negative meaning current flows in both directions (hence 'alternating') |
| AFV |
Alternate Fuel Vehicle A vehicle powered by fuel other than gasoline or diesel. Examples of alternative fuels are electricity, hydrogen, and CNG. |
| BEV |
Battery Electric Vehicle: See EV below, An electric vehicle whose electricity is exclusively stored in batteries rather than a fuel cell or generator. |
| BMS |
Battery Management System: mini onboard computer to monitor entire battery system and each individual battery. Also may be built into charging system. |
| CARB |
California Air Resources Board California Air Resources Board |
| DC |
Direct Current: A form of electricity where current only flows in one direction. This is the form of electricity produced by batteries and the most common system used in EV conversions. |
| DOD |
Depth of Discharge: A measure of how much energy has been withdrawn from a battery. It is expressed as a percentage of the total battery capacity. For example - if you use 25ah of a 100ah battery, that is running the battery to 25% DOD. |
| Ebike |
Electric powered Bike, Cycle, Scooter |
| Eroute |
Route that an electric vehicle will travel. Intercity public/private transportation route with recharge station/stop. Note that an E-route may additionally denote a nominally "safe" street or paved thoroughfare. It may optionally be marked with easily seen and high-visibility signage. |
| Etaxi |
Electric powered Taxi/Tricycle |
| EV |
Electric Vehicle: usually referring to registered passenger vehicles but can refer to any vehicle that is powered exclusively by an electric drive train. |
| EVC |
Electric Vehicle Consultant – A good EVC knows all aspects of obtaining, sizing, delivery, training and roll out of private (single) and public (mass) Motorcycle and EV transportation systems. Including infrastructure and route (Eroute) planning. |
| EVD |
Electric Vehicle Driver |
| FCV |
Fuel Cell Vehicle: A vehicle powered by a fuel cell, usually hydrogen. This is essentially an electric vehicle but using a liquid to store energy rather than a battery. |
| GHG |
Green House Gases A gas that in the atmosphere prevents heat from radiating back into space, and thus warms the earth (the greenhouse effect). Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most common greenhouse gas. Methane (CH4) is another GHG, and has approximately twenty times the greenhouse effect as CO2 in the atmosphere. |
| HEV |
Hybrid Electric Vehicle: A vehicle which is powered by both electricity and another fuel, usually petrol/gas (eg Toyota Prius). This is usually just a more efficient way of using the standard fuel as there is no external source of electricity. |
| HEV |
Hybrid Electric Vehicle A vehicle that combines conventional power production (e.g. an ICE) and an electric motor. |
| ICE |
Internal Combustion Engine: the standard way to power a vehicle, this part is removed when converting to an electric car. |
| KW |
Kilowatt a measure of power. Power is energy per time. |
| Li-ion |
Lithium Ion Or Lithium-ion polymer battery. are a type of rechargeable battery in which lithium ions move from the negative electrode (anode) to the positive electrode (cathode) during discharge, and from the cathode to the anode when charged. |
| LiCoO2 |
Lithium Cobalt Oxide battery chemistry |
| LiFePO4 |
Lithium Iron Phosphate battery chemistry |
| LiPo |
Lithium Polymer battery chemistry |
| NCM |
Nano Crystalline Motor – Conducts energy approx 10 times more efficiently than Iron core motors. |
| NEV |
Neighborhood Electric Vehicle. Used for short trips around ones community. Church, School, meeting, etc |
NiCd NiCad |
Nickel Cadmium battery chemistry |
| NiMH |
Nickel-Metal Hydride battery chemistry |
| Pb-Acid |
Lead-Acid battery chemistry |
| PHEV |
Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle: A hybrid electric vehicle with a substantial battery pack which is able to be charged by an external source other than its fossil fuel (i.e. plugged into household electricity). These vehicles often have the ability to travel is a 'pure electric mode' without using any conventional fuels. |
| PWM |
Pulse Width Modulation: a high-efficiency technique for controlling voltage output in a motor controller. |
| PZEV |
Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle PZEVs meet SULEV tailpipe emission standards, have zero evaporative emissions and a 15 year / 150,000 mile warranty. No evaporative emissions means that they have fewer emissions while being driven than a typical gasoline car has while just idling. |
| RBS |
Regenerative Braking Systems – An EV with a braking system that uses the braking RPM load to charge the onboard batteries. |
| VRLA |
Valve Regulated Lead Acid |
| ZEV |
Zero Emissions Vehicle ZEVs have zero tailpipe emissions are 98% cleaner than the average new model year vehicle. These include battery electric vehicles and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. |