Electric Vehicles are already becoming the 1st choice for many drivers across the UK and with the government ban of ICE’s coming into play from 2030, isn’t it about time we all learned our BEV’s to our kWh’s
We’ve all grown up with Miles per Gallon (MPG), Revolutions Per Minute (RPM’s) and our Internal Combustion Engines (ICE), but we’ve now got to learn a few more key phrases.
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kWh
Kilowatt Hour: This is used to measure the battery capacity of an electric vehicle, think of it as your fuel tank. The larger the number the longer the range of the EV.
kW
Kilowatt: This is used to show you the power produced by the electric motor in your EV. Even today, many ICE engines are quoted in both Horsepower (Hp) and Kilowatt (kW) to show their power output. kW is also used to demonstrate the charging speed of charge points. When you see a 7kW charger, this means it will add 7kW of power to your vehicle per hour, a 150kW charger will add 150kW of power per hour. If you have an electric vehicle with a 70kWh battery and you used a 7kW charger, it theory this would take 10 hours for a charge to 100%.
CCS
CCS: is the European Standard for a charging connector for your Electric Vehicle. Like your smartphone that would usually accept a USB-C or a Lightning Cable, you need to find a public or home charger that is compatible with this type.
CHAdeMo
CHAdeMo: This is a charging connector standard found on many of the Japanese manufacturer cars like the early Nissan Leaf. CHAdeMO is an abbreviation of “CHArge de MOve.” Many of the manufacturers ar enow moving away from this standard and using the CCS connection type in Europe.
BEV
Battery Electric Vehicle: This is a pure electric vehicle that does not have an internal combustion engine. The car consists of a battery pack with one or more electric motors to turn the wheels. The range is specified by the battery pack size (kWh) and the power output is usually defined by the Kilowatt (kW). Range can vary from vehicle to vehicle.
HEV
Hybrid Electric Vehicle: This is a car or van that has a set of batteries with an electric motor as well as an internal combustion engine. These types of vehicles cannot be plugged in to charge and instead uses the engine and regenerative braking to top the battery up. The electric motors are really only used for creeping forwards in traffic, parking maneuvers and driving around town at lower speeds.
PHEV
Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles: This is a vehicle with an Internal Combustion Engine and an electric motor with battery pack. A PHEV can be charged using a home charger or public charger to allow the car to be charged to give you between 25 to 60 miles worth of electric-only range. These types of vehicles are ideal for those who do a regular commute of 10-15 miles per day. On long-runs, when just the ICE is used, the car may be less economical than a traditional internal combustion engined vehicle.
MHEV
Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle: This is a traditional petrol and diesel engined vehicle that has a very small battery pack and electric motor to provide assistance at lower speed driving. These include creeping forwards in traffic or allowing the engine to cut off earlier when coasting up to a junction or a set of traffic lights.
Brake ReGen
Regenerative Braking: Electric vehicles can invert their electric motors when slowing down or braking to not only slow the car down but also produce electricity in the same way as a dynamo works. By using regenerative braking, it helps increase the range of the battery as well as save on things like brake pads and discs.
Cost to Charge
Cost to Charge: As energy prices are increasing, it has never been more important to understand the costs to replenish your electric or hybrid vehicle battery. The larger the battery in your vehicle, the more it will cost to charge. Prices are generally quoted in costs per kWh. Charging at home can cost you between 7.5p/kWh to 40p/kWh, there are special tariffs available for EV charging from the energy companies. Topping up your vehicle on a public charger can cost anywhere between 25 to 80p/kWh.
To work out how much it will cost to charge your EV. You need to find out the battery size. If the car has a 70kWh battery and it is at 0%, to charge it to full at 7.5p/kWh per hour, it will roughly cost: £5.25.
Subscribe to an Electric Car
If you are looking at subscribing to an electric vehicle, then take a look at our article on the highlighted link. Our website allows you to easily compare different vehicle subscription providers in the UK, so you can find the right company that meets your requirements.
