Don’t know a BEV from a ZEV? Feeling overwhelmed every time you see an electric vehicle performance metric, like “Le/100km” or “mi/kWh”? We’ve got you covered with this EV glossary of commonly used terms and specifications!
Quick jump:
EV Charging
Charging Port
On an EV, a charging port is a socket that connects the vehicle to the charging station via a connector (plug) and cable. On a charging station, a charging port is the hardware that charges an individual vehicle. Charging stations can have multiple ports (typically up to a maximum of two). “Charging port” and “charging station” are often used interchangeably.
Charging Station | Charger | Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE)
A machine that delivers power from the local electrical grid to an EV. “Charging station” is sometimes used to refer to a charging location instead of the hardware—the EV equivalent of “gas station.” As well, “charging station” and “charging port” are often used interchangeably.
Level 1 Charging
Charging an EV with a charging station that uses a standard 120-volt household outlet. Level 1 charging stations are the slowest, taking as long as a day or two to fully replenish a battery, depending on a variety of factors.
Level 2 Charging
Charging an EV with a charging station that uses 208/240-volt power, which can replenish a battery in roughly 4-10 hours, depending on a variety of factors.
Level 3 Charging | DC Fast Charging
Charging an EV using a DC fast charger, which converts an alternating current (AC) from the electrical grid to a direct current (DC) before delivering it directly to an EV battery. This accelerates charging speed to an hour or less, depending on a variety of factors.
Load Management
Technology that monitors and manages demands on the electrical grid, adjusting the power available to charging stations and redistributing power among charging stations as needed.
Onboard Charger
A device located in an EV that receives an alternating current (AC) from a charging station and converts it to a direct current (DC) to charge the vehicles battery.
Output Rate
The rate at which a charging station can deliver power, measured in kilowatts (kW). It is calculated by multiplying the charging station’s amperes (amps) by its volts then dividing the result by 1000.
Public Charging
Charging opportunities made available to the general public. Some public charging is free, but it is more commonly charged on a pay-per-use or subscription basis.
Regenerative Braking
A technique that uses a vehicle’s braking system to capture kinetic energy and convert it into electricity that is stored in the battery.
Smart Charging
Using a local or cloud-based charging platform that connects data between EVs, charging stations, charging operators, and the local charging network to monitor and optimize energy consumption.
Electrical
Alternating Current (AC)
A type of electrical current that can periodically change direction. An alternating current is used for electrical grids and many appliances but must be converted to a direct current before it can be used by an EV battery.
Ampere / Amp (A) | Amperage
An ampere, or amp, is a unit of measurement for the rate at which an electrical charge moves through an electrical current per second. “Amperage” is a more general term that refers to the amount of amps delivered within a given period of time, indicating the current’s strength.
Direct Current (DC)
A type of electrical current that flows only in one direction. All EV batteries function on DC power.
Kilowatt (kW)
A unit of measurement for the rate of power an electrical device uses, equivalent to one thousand watts. A kilowatt is the standard measurement of the power generated by an EV battery.
Kilowatt-hour (kWh)
The unit of measurement for the number of kilowatts an electrical device uses over one hour. The amount of energy an EV battery can store is expressed in kilowatt-hours to indicate the length of time it can supply power during usage.
Volt (V)
A unit of measurement for the force of energy required to move one ampere between two points of a conducting wire. Higher voltage charging stations push more electrical current through a circuit, which helps boost charging speed.
Watt (W) | Wattage
A unit of measurement for electrical power. Wattage is an electrical component’s amount of power measured in watts.
Vehicle Type Acronyms
Electric Vehicle (EV)
A vehicle that’s powered by electrical energy.
Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV)
An electric vehicle that runs exclusively on a battery-powered motor. The terms “EV” and “BEV” are often used interchangeably.
Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV)
A vehicle that has both a gas-powered internal combustion engine (ICE) and a battery-powered electric motor.
Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) Vehicles
An engine that produces energy by combusting a fuel, such a gasoline or diesel, within a confined space known as a combustion chamber. ICE-powered vehicles produce exhaust gas that is released through the vehicle’s tailpipe.
Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle (MHEV)
A hybrid electric vehicle that uses an electric motor powered by a small battery—charged through regenerative braking—to assist the internal combustion engine (ICE). It cannot run on batter power alone.
Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV)
A hybrid electric vehicle with a battery-powered motor that can be recharged through regenerative braking or by plugging into an charging station to receive power from the electrical grid. Many PHEVs use electricity alone until the battery is depleted, then switch to their hybrid capabilities.
Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV)
Broadly speaking, a vehicle that doesn’t produce exhaust gas or other emissions; however, definitions do vary. For example, Natural Resources Canada classifies PHEVs as ZEVs, despite PHEVs having gas-powered engines, because they have the capacity to run on electricity alone.
Specifications
Battery Capacity
The amount of electricity that can be stored in a battery, expressed in kilowatt-hours.
Driving Range
The distance an EV can travel on a full battery, measured in miles or kilometres.
Electric Range
The distance a hybrid electric vehicle can travel using electrical power exclusively before its battery is too depleted.
Energy Efficiency: kWh/100km | kWh/100mi
The number of kilowatt-hours an EV consumes over a distance of 100 kilometres or miles.
Energy Efficiency: km/kWh | mi/kWh
The average number of kilometres or miles an EV travels per kilowatt-hour consumed.
Energy Efficiency: Le/100km
Natural Resources Canada’s metric for how much energy an EV uses to travel 100 kilometres compared to a gas-powered vehicle. A vehicle’s kilowatt-hours per 100 kilometres (kWh/100 km) is converted to “gasoline litres equivalent per 100 kilometres” (Le/100 km), based on the understanding that one litre of gasoline contains the energy equivalent of 8.9 kWh.
Energy Efficiency: MPGe
Miles Per Gallon Equivalent is the metric used by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the U.S. to express the average distance an EV travels using 33.7 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity—the energy equivalent of one gallon of gasoline.
Vehicle Charging Capacity | Power Acceptance Rate
A measurement of how fast an EV battery can accept power, measured in kilowatts.
Talk to Hypercharge
Are you a business owner or resident of an apartment or condo building? Navigating the challenges of EV charging doesn’t have to be complicated.
Hypercharge provides advanced EV charging solutions designed to fit your needs, whether you’re looking to power your workplace, multi-residential property, or community space.
Schedule a free EV charging consultation with one of our experts today and discover how Hypercharge can help make charging easier for you and your community.