If you’ve shopped around for an electric vehicle recently you’ve probably come across a confusing plethora of abbreviations and terms that are completely alien to you. Fear not! We’ve compiled a quick reference guide for some of the terms you’ll be running across on your search for a new EV!

BEV: Battery Electric Vehicle - Any vehicle that exclusively uses rechargeable batteries as its power source.

E-REV: Extended Range Electric Vehicle - This is essentially a type of hybrid electric vehicle as it uses a small internal combustion engine to help recharge its battery while driving.

EV: Electric Vehicle - Any vehicle that uses electric motors to move. 

FCEV: Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle - Uses hydrogen fuel cells to produce energy for the vehicle

HEV: Hybrid Electric Vehicle - Any vehicle that uses a combination of an internal combustion engine and battery pack as its primary power source. These types of cars are generally designed to improve fuel economy without drastically increasing the price.

ICE: Internal Combustion Engine - The gold standard of vehicle engines for more than a hundred years which uses dead dinosaurs to provide energy for a motor vehicle.

KW/H: Kilowatt Hour - The amount of energy a vehicle uses every hour while in use. Generally used to determine the range of the vehicle.

NEV Meaning #1: Neighborhood Electric Vehicle - This most commonly describes a vehicle that is designed not to go faster than 40 km/h and generally has a lower overall range than a standard BEV.

NEV Meaning #2: New Energy Vehicle - This definition is primarily used overseas to define any car that does not use a traditional internal combustion engine.

PEV: Plug-in Electric Vehicle - A vehicle that needs to be plugged in periodically to recharge its batteries. This encompasses all-electric vehicles that use rechargeable batteries including hybrids.

Regenerative Braking - Takes energy lost from braking and converts or stores said energy for use in other parts of the car. The Hyundai Kona uses regenerative braking to help provide heat for passengers.