Electric car glossary

Cars driven by electricity instead of fuel. This term can include any vehicle that uses a battery as its energy supply.

Petrol and diesel are never needed to get a BEV moving. It’s a vehicle that drives solely on battery power.

A vehicle that has a traditional combustion engine and an electric motor. Each engine is often used for a different style of driving, such as electric for shorter city drives, and combustion for longer, faster drives.

A vehicle that combines a combustion engine and an electric motor. The rechargeable battery can be charged from a power socket and the combustion engine kicks in during longer drives. Plug-in hybrids can drive using just their electric motor for around 50km, which makes them great for city dwellers who occasionally take longer trips.

CO₂ is considered to be the main cause of greenhouse gases and a big contributor to global warming. It’s a colourless and odourless gas that’s produced during the combustion process of running a conventional car.

These engines work by burning fuel and using its heat to create their mechanical power.

Every battery has a lifespan that’s determined by the number of charges it can undergo before it starts to lose its capacity. Volkswagen uses lithium rechargeable batteries which are great at retaining their capacity for charging; even when used daily. They use the highest quality components so that each battery will last as long as possible. We’re so confident in ours that we offer an eight-year warranty on everyone. We estimate that they can be charged several thousand times during their warranty without deteriorating.

Electric vehicles don’t just get their energy from electricity. Many have the capability to harness energy from other sources, such as the kinetic energy produced when you brake. Your generator can then store the energy for future use.

Electricity that’s been generated from renewable energy sources, such as the wind, sun and sea. This is the kindest type of energy generation for the planet as it doesn’t use our fossil fuels.

The more a vehicle weighs, the more fuel is needed to get it moving. Many manufacturers use a lightweight construction technique to save on weight, save fuel and reduce emissions.

A rechargeable battery that’s considered to be one of the best at retaining its charge capacity. One of the main problems with batteries that are used daily is that they stop being able to hold as much charge as time goes on. Lithium-ion batteries are capable of being charged hundreds of thousands of times without losing their capacity.

The batteries of the future, these are the successor to today’s hero lithium-ion rechargeable battery. The hope is that they’re the key to unlocking long-distance electric mobility.

Standard charging requires an alternating current using a basic cable or a wall box, however quick-charging uses a direct current and can only be used at specially designed Combined Charging System (CCS) stations. In 20-30 minutes a battery can be charged to around 80%.

A modern, more intelligent electrical grid that allows us to use pieces of technology that provide information and communication, like smart meters and smart appliances. It enables renewable energy sources to be integrated into the system; such as plug-in electric vehicle charging. Eventually, the smart grid will replace our current electrical grid so we can rely on more sustainable sources of energy.