There are a lot of new words to learn in Electric vehicle terminology, including some that are deliberately devised to confuse you!
An Electric car is powered exclusively from the battery which is charged at home or many other locations. In the USA the term “Electric car” includes Hybrids, so they use the term Battery Electric car instead.
Self-charging is actually impossible! It’s just a Hybrid, i.e. running on petrol, but the wheels are driven by a motor. The battery is charged using Regenerative braking, not plugging in.
A Plug-in Hybrid is a Hybrid, which can be charged as an alternative to petrol. Electricity for local usage but Petrol to save charging on long journeys.
Regenerative braking, as used by all Electric cars, charges the battery instead of wearing down the brake pads.
BEV – Battery Electric Vehicle – American term for Electric Vehicle as, confusingly, they often call Hybrids Electric Vehicles too.
ICE – Internal Combustion Engine, i.e. Petrol or Diesel.
EVSE (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment) – American term for Charge point.
CHAdeMO is the charger to vehicle protocol and plug / socket arrangement which is massive in China and Japan, but being phased out in Europe.
Preconditioning is heating the vehicle and battery before departing from a home or destination charger.
Grid balancing – Demand on the Grid varies dramatically during 24 hour periods but must be kept stable. Hence the need for Grid balancing, i.e. minimising demand in the early evening and increasing it in the early hours.
SoC – State of Charge – Equivalent to the Fuel gauge in a Petrol or Diesel car. Note that it takes the SoH into account.
SoH – State of Health (of the Battery) – Means maximum capacity remaining. As the battery degrades, albeit very gradually, the SoH reduces.
Smart charger – As opposed to a ‘Dumb charger’, a Smart charger can be programmed to have scheduling features. It can understand the battery capacity and what’s known as the state-of-charge can help unlock the secrets of battery health. Smart charging is a simple way for consumers to stay in control and protect their battery’s health.
