Last year, we posted an article about hydrogen cars vs EVs. The purpose was to highlight some important facts to know before you buy either one. But let's be real, hydrogen cars aren't a thing in Malaysia yet, and probably won't be relevant anytime soon.
EVs (electric vehicles), on the other hand, are already available in Malaysia and have been around for a while. In fact, some of you might be interested in getting one sometime in the future. But before you buy one, you should know what some of the key terms and specs of an EV are. Here's a list of commonly seen EV terms and specs.
Common EV terms or specs
EV (electric vehicle) - A type of vehicle that's powered by an electric motor. An EV always comes with a rechargeable battery of sorts, which is the source of power for the electric motor
BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle) - Also known as only-electric vehicle, BEVs are powered entirely by a rechargeable battery pack
BEV (Image from BMW)
PHEV (Image from BMW)
Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) - A type of hybrid EV with a rechargeable battery pack and a generator powered by an internal combustion engine
Battery capacity - Commonly measured in kWh (kilowatt per hour). An EV with a larger battery capacity will usually deliver more driving range
Drive range - A term typically used to denote how far an EV can travel on a full battery
Regenerative braking - A system that helps an EV to recover some battery charge every time the brake is pressed. This causes reverse power flow, which 'regenerates' the battery pack and thereby extends the EV's range
PS (Pferdestärke) - A German word for 'horsepower', typically used in Europe to measure a vehicle's power output. Higher horsepower/Pferdestärke means more speed
kW (kilowatt) - kW is used to describe the power output of an EV's motor or the charging speed of an EV charger. 1kW = 1.35962 PS (Pferdestärke) = 1.34102 HP (Horsepower)
NM (Newton-meter) - Commonly known as torque, it's another form of measurement for an engine's performance. Typically, higher torque means faster acceleration. Also used to calculate horsepower
Refilling (or recharging) - Charging an EV's battery with electricity
Charging point - The location or place where an EV can be refilled
Charging point with a charging station (Photo from Future Energy)
Charging station - The machine/infrastructure that supplies the electricity to charge an EV
Connector - A device attached to the charging station via a cable and connects to an EV to refill it
CHAdeMO plug - A four-pin connector developed in Japan that supports many Asian-made EVs, which include BD Otomotive, Citroën, Honda, Kia, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Peugeot, Subaru, and Toyota
CHAdeMO plug (Image from Chargie)
Type 1 plug - A five-pin connector with a built-in clip, most commonly found in the US. It supports EVs made by Nissan, Mitsubishi and GM
Type 2 plug - A seven-pin connector with a flat edge, developed according to the European Standard. Commonly seen in BMW or Volkswagen EVs, as well as Tesla EVs sold in Europe
Type 1 (Image from Chargie)
Type 2 (Image from Chargie)
CCS Charging Socket - A European standard that also sees use by American and Asian manufacturers. It looks like a Type two plug with two extra contacts at the bottom, providing DC charging and auxiliary power to a computer in the EV
DC - Stands for Direct Current, the type of current that charges the batteries used in various fields (including EVs). AC (Alternating Current) is converted to DC via onboard chargers on an EV to refill its battery pack
WLPT - Refers to the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure, a laboratory test used to measure fuel consumption and CO2 emissions and other pollutant emissions from vehicles
NEDC - Refers to the older New European Driving Cycle lab test. Similarly, it's used to measure fuel consumption and emissions of vehicles mainly from Europe
Infographic from WLTP Facts EU
CLTC - Abbreviated from Combined Charging Load Test Cycle. This refers to a more recent testing procedure that evaluates the range of an EV on a single charge when using fast chargers and is commonly used in China
How to read an ad or article about an EV?
Now that you know some of the basic terms, you should have a better idea of how to read the listing or promotional ads for a new EV. Let's refer to the Honda e:N1 launched in Malaysia last month as an example of where you can see these abbreviations.
According to the official brochure, Honda describes the Honda e:N1 as Honda Malaysia's first BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle). It has a battery capacity of 68.8kWh, maximum torque of 310NM, and 150kW (204 PS or 201 hp) of max motor power. By the way, a car with 200++ horsepower is quite standard for a modern vehicle and is more than sufficient for daily commutes. For comparison, faster vehicles like sports car have more than 300 hp.
The Honda e:N1 was recently launched in Malaysia
Additionally, the car's driving range is 500 km and it's listed as NEDC. This means the car was lab tested using the older NEDC tests. It should be noted that there will be a significant difference in rated driving range on NEDC. WLTP is considered the most accurate for Malaysia's traffic conditions, with the rated total range a possible overestimation of only 5-15%. However, the older NEDC tends to overestimate by 10-30% while CLTC can be considered overly optimistic at 20-40%.
This would mean that the actual range would likely be 350 to 425km before it runs out of battery. This also applies if you see a car listing or promo material with "WLTP range" or "CLTC range", with the difference being the standard used to test the vehicle and the mentioned overestimations. As for charging, it supports a CCS 2 plug for DC charging and a Type 2 plug for AC charging.
Please note there might be other terms related to EVs. But we did our best to pick the most relevant ones for fellow Malaysians who might want to buy one. Hopefully, you won't be going in blind when looking to purchase an EV. At the very least, you won't be clueless when presented with a brochure full of acronyms.
For those who plan to buy an EV, which vehicle do you have your eyes on? Let us know on our Facebook page, and remember to stay tuned to TechNave for more articles like this.
COMMENTS