The electric world can be complicated at times with acronyms, weird names, and words that consumers have never heard before. However, that’s about to change as Versinetic, an EV charging consultancy firm, has compiled an interactive periodic table of over 100 terms and abbreviations to make navigating the EV landscape easier.
BEV, PHEV, and HEV to an expert eye are an easy way to describe a vehicle, but to many others they can bring some confusion. Now, with this EV periodic table, it will be incredibly easy to understand the electric world better.
These terms in the EV periodic table will have an in-depth definition that will help anyone navigate the all-electric revolution. Here is a sample of how it works:
Some further examples are:
CHAdeMO: Large, round four-pin charging plug for rapid charging points only. Generally used with EV marques such as Mitsubishi and Nissan. It can also be used for Vehicle to Grid (V2G); however, it needs two separate sockets and is less powerful than CCS. Fun fact: CHAdeMO comes from the Japanese phrase, “Ocha demo ikagadesu ka?” meaning “How about tea?”. This refers to the futuristic idea that, ultimately, you’ll be able to charge your electric vehicle in the time it takes to drink a refreshing cuppa.
Granny Chargers: A car charger that can be plugged into a mains socket in a house. They’re called Granny Chargers because the most often time they’re used is when visiting a family member who lets you charge up your car for your return journey. Often, they only produce 2kW of power, so charging is very slow.
OCPI: Open Charge Point Interface Protocol. This is an open protocol supporting connections between charging stations and a central management system, allowing any EV user to charge at any charging point without having to subscribe to every charging point operator’s payment scheme.
V2G: Vehicle-to-Grid, an up-and-coming technology to offset the energy consumption of the grid at peak times using the batteries of EVs. Currently, the use of a V2G charger with most EVs will void the battery warranty, and the use of electric vehicles is not widespread enough to have a noticeable impact. However, in the next decade this technology is expected to reduce the need for grid upgrades and provide an alternative revenue source for EV drivers, making charging even cheaper.
ZEV – Zero Emissions Vehicle, namely a vehicle that never emits exhaust gas from the onboard source of power.
BEV – Battery Electric Vehicle – a 100% pure electric car. It is solely powered by a rechargeable battery, which stores chemical energy. Demand for BEVs is accelerating, with drivers opting for BEVs such as the Renault Zoe, Nissan Leaf or Tesla Model 3.
PHEV – Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle, which deploys both a battery and a petrol or diesel internal combustion engine (or ICE). PHEVs are often regarded as a popular choice for those not ready to make the leap to driving a full electric vehicle. PHEVs have larger batteries than BEVs and offer better fuel economy than ICE cars. Popular models include the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and the Hyundai Ioniq Plug-In.