EV Glossary

The most useful charging benchmark. Charging slows above 80% (battery protection), so most fast-charging stops end at 80%. A 25-minute 10–80% time means a quick motorway stop while you grab coffee. This figure is more meaningful than "0–100% charge time".

Your home power point and wall charger are AC. The car's onboard charger converts AC to DC (the car's battery stores DC). Typical speeds: 2.4 kW (standard power point) to 22 kW (three-phase commercial charger). Most home wall chargers are 7 kW.

Most AWD EVs use a motor on each axle, giving better traction and acceleration. AWD typically uses more energy than RWD, reducing range slightly. Worth it for slippery conditions, towing, or performance.

ANCAP tests crash protection and safety assist technology, rating cars 1–5 stars. 5-star ratings require modern autonomous emergency braking, lane keeping, and good crash protection. Most new EVs score 5 stars. Always check the year of the rating — a 5-star score from 2015 reflects lower standards than a 2023 rating.

What most people mean when they say "EV". Runs entirely on electricity stored in a battery. All vehicles on this site are BEVs unless otherwise noted.

CCS2 combines the Type 2 AC connector with two extra DC pins below it. This is the standard used by most new EVs sold in Australia and the dominant public DC fast-charging network. Replaces the older CHAdeMO standard. Tesla Superchargers use the same connector since 2023.

Used by older Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV models. The CHAdeMO network in Australia is shrinking as charger operators upgrade to CCS2. Avoid CHAdeMO-only vehicles if DC fast charging matters to you.

DC fast chargers feed electricity directly into the battery, bypassing the onboard charger bottleneck. Speeds range from 50 kW (older public units) to 350 kW (latest Ionity/Tritium units). A 150 kW DC charger can add 200+ km of range in 20 minutes. Not all cars accept the same DC speeds — check max DC kW in the specs.

Less common in performance EVs. More practical for packaging in smaller vehicles. Slightly better range in some cases due to simpler drivetrain.

Because EVs have no combustion engine, many have a storage compartment under the front bonnet. Sizes vary from barely useful (Tesla Model 3's 88L) to genuinely helpful (Ford F-150 Lightning's 400L). Useful for wet or dirty items away from the main boot.

Relevant for towing and payloads. The difference between GVM and kerb weight is the payload capacity — how much you can load into the car. Important for utes and commercial EVs.

Resistive heaters are simple but drain the battery fast in cold weather. Heat pumps move heat rather than generate it, using 2–4x less energy. In Australian winters this is less critical than in Europe, but it still improves cold-weather range. Check the spec if you live in alpine areas or southern states.

A 77 kWh battery can store 77 kilowatt-hours of energy. Bigger kWh generally means more range, but efficiency (how the car uses that energy) matters just as much. A heavy SUV with 100 kWh might go the same distance as an efficient hatch with 60 kWh.

1 kW = 1.34 horsepower. A 200 kW electric motor produces 200,000 watts of power. In charging context, kW is the speed of charging — a 7 kW home charger is much slower than a 150 kW DC fast charger.

LFP batteries run cooler, degrade more slowly, and can be charged to 100% every day without harm. The trade-off: lower energy density means less range per kg of battery. Common in: BYD, some Tesla Standard Range models, MG. Good for: daily drivers, apartment charging, high-cycle use.

NMC packs more energy into the same space, giving better range. Most manufacturers recommend not regularly charging above 80% to preserve long-term health. Common in: most premium EVs, Hyundai, Kia, BMW, Audi. Good for: road-trip vehicles, longer range requirements.

In Australia, EVs under the luxury car tax threshold purchased via novated lease are exempt from Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT). This can reduce the effective cost of an EV by $5,000–$15,000 depending on your tax bracket and salary. Worth exploring with a salary packaging provider if your employer offers it.

The onboard charger (OBC) limits how fast you can charge on AC. A 7 kW OBC means even a 22 kW public charger will only charge you at 7 kW. A 22 kW OBC is worth it if you frequently use public AC chargers. DC charging bypasses the OBC entirely, so it's limited by the car's max DC kW instead.

OTA updates can fix bugs, add features, and sometimes even increase range or charging speed after purchase. Tesla pioneered this. Most modern EVs now support some level of OTA updates, though not all features can be changed remotely.

PHEVs typically offer 30–80 km of electric-only range, then run on petrol. Good for people who can't charge at home regularly or do occasional long trips with no charging infrastructure. Not the focus of this site, which covers full BEVs.

Affected by speed (highway driving at 110 km/h uses ~30% more energy than city driving), temperature (cold weather reduces range by 10–30%), and use of heating/air conditioning. A car rated at 500 km WLTP might deliver 380–430 km on a mixed real-world drive.

Single-motor EVs are usually RWD. Better efficiency and typically sporty handling dynamics. Most budget and mid-range EVs are RWD. Trade-off: less traction in wet or slippery conditions versus AWD.

When you lift off the accelerator or brake, the motor becomes a generator, converting kinetic energy back into battery charge. This is why EV brake pads last much longer than petrol cars. Some EVs let you adjust regen intensity, and "one-pedal driving" means you rarely need the brake pedal in city traffic.

Displayed as a percentage (0–100%). Most EVs recommend keeping SoC between 20–80% for daily use to maximise battery life, though LFP batteries can safely sit at 100%.

The 7-pin circular connector used for AC home charging and public AC chargers. Your wall charger and most public chargers use this. It's the top half of the CCS2 connector.

EV batteries reserve a buffer at top and bottom to protect longevity. A car advertised with a 77 kWh battery might have 73.6 kWh usable. Specs on this site show the usable figure where available.

A 240V power point (usually in the frunk, boot, or via an adapter) lets you run power tools, camp equipment, or appliances directly from the battery. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 are well-known for their 3.6 kW V2L capability.

Allows the car to power your home during an outage or feed solar energy stored in the car back to the house. Requires a compatible bidirectional charger installed at home. Currently available on select models in Australia.

The car exports power to the electricity grid, earning you credits. Requires both a V2G-capable car and a compatible smart charger. Currently in early rollout phase in Australia.

WLTP replaced the older NEDC test and is more realistic, but still measured under ideal conditions (mild temperature, mixed urban/highway driving). Real-world range is typically 75–90% of WLTP depending on speed, temperature, and climate control use.

Like L/100km for petrol cars, but in reverse — lower is better. A car using 150 Wh/km is more efficient than one using 250 Wh/km. At 30¢/kWh electricity, 150 Wh/km costs 4.5¢/km versus 7.5¢/km. Also expressed as kWh/100km (multiply Wh/km by 0.1).