Electric car terms: What do I need to know?

If you’re in the market for an electric car, you may have already encountered the sometimes bewildering number of terms and acronyms that are strewn across the segment. Knowing what they all mean – and which ones are important – can feel quite daunting, to begin with.

However, we’re going to be taking a look through some of the key EV terms that you really need to know. So let’s dive in.

Battery

The Mercedes EQS uses one of the largest electric car batteries. (Mercedes-Benz)

You’ll see batteries measured in kilowatt hours – or kWh – and the higher the number that precedes it, the larger the battery, and likely the more range it’ll offer. For instance, the Mercedes EQS has a 107.8kWh battery, which is capable of delivering up to 453 miles of range.

Charging

There are a range of different ways to charge an EV. (Fiat)

Slow charger

Fast charger

Depending on the size of your EV’s battery, a fast charger will be able to fully charge an electric vehicle in as little as three hours. With a less powerful 7kW charger, you’re looking at around eight hours for an average-size EV.

Rapid and Ultra Rapid chargers

The fastest ultra-rapid EV chargers can charge at up to 360kW. (Gridserve)

Ultra Rapid units, meanwhile, can charge at speeds of upwards of 100kW right up to 360kW. These could deliver a 0-80 per cent charge in just 20 minutes.

Connectors

The first is a UK three-pin. Though electric cars can accept this as a way of charging, it isn’t recommended by vehicle manufacturers and it isn’t very fast, either. It should only really be used as a final option.

Then you’ve got Type 1. This was an early type of connector and isn’t commonly used today. You’ll find it on older examples of the Nissan Leaf, for example.

The next is Type 2. It’s a three-pin style plug and is one of the most commonly used on electric vehicles. With this, you’ll be able to get a secure and reliable connection to wallboxes and slow and fast public chargers, though it can only really deal with lower outputs for slower, overnight charges.

CHAdeMO is up next. Though not as favoured these days, it was used by Nissan in its ever-popular Leaf. It can accept rapid charges, mind you, bringing shorter waiting times.

Finally – in the UK at least, since other connectors are available in countries like America – is CCS, or Combined Charging System. This is the most common rapid connector type and combines two DC pins situated below the Type 2 AC connector. Essentially, this is the connector you’ll use to get the quickest possible charge and it’s found on most EVs today.

Pre-conditioning

It’s done while your car is connected to a charger, too, so it doesn’t use up your car’s range. Plus, it’ll pre-warm your battery to make sure it’s at the optimum operating temperature.