With the progressive rise of EVs (electric vehicles), there is a very much more diverse mixture of engines plying the roads. This has given rise to lots of confusing jargon. An expert from a firm of electric vehicle consultants demystifies the overwhelming acronyms by explaining the entire spectrum from electric down to oil.

ICE – internal combustion engines

For the past hundred years, internal combustion engines have been virtually exclusively used in powering cars. They are engines which combust – burn – stuff in order to produce the explosive force that is utilised to drive the automobile forwards. Their major characteristics are just that they are complicated, inefficient, as well as noisy.

HEV – hybrid electric vehicles

An ICE is used in powering hybrid cars, and a tiny electric motor is used in the regeneration of energy back into a small battery pack when braking. The electric system functions to add torque and it helps to propel the car whenever it is accelerating from low speeds thus taking some of the pressure off the engine when it happens to be at its least efficient state. Toyota successfully pioneered the production of this kind of car with its Toyota Prius. Mild – or 48volts – hybrids are cheaper and even less powerful versions that utilise an upgraded starter motor.

PHEV – plug-in hybrid electric vehicles

Plug-in hybrid cars seem to have a bigger battery and motors that are more powerful than conventional hybrids, and a charging port. According to the expert from the firm of professional electric vehicle consultants in Australia, they are typically capable of travelling for between thirty and forty miles on only electric power before their petrol engines take over. PHEVs feature extra costs and weight over conventional hybrids but via commuter use, they hardly use the ICE. The electric performance of these vehicles drops heavily during winter because lack of thermal management for their batteries decreases capacity and any need for cabin heat demands the running of the engine.

REX EV – range extended electric vehicles

REX EVs are essentially electric cars which feature an onboard petrol generator that is capable of kicking in to recharge the car’s battery and also power the vehicle whenever its battery is low. Unlike in PHEVs, the combustion engine isn’t mechanically connected to the car’s wheels. Even though an interesting solution for the extension of the range of EVs, the car’s platform needs to be designed from scratch because it’s an EV with extra complexity as regards housing the engine. Very few cars feature a range extender. An example is the BMW i3 ReX.

BEV – battery electric vehicles

BEV is the industry’s jargon for 100% battery-operated electric vehicles. BEVs don’t have petrol tanks, engines, and are solely powered from their large battery pack. As a result of the cost of their battery pack, they seem to be more costly than other models. Depending on car, they could be either developed from scratch on up to become an electric-only model or an EV version of a current model in the manufacturer’s automobile lineup.

The foremost electric vehicle consultants are agile evangelists for the most trending and eco-friendly technologies. That is why these acronyms have been explained so you better understand EVs.