AC – Alternating Current (electricity).
AFR – Advisory Fuel Rate. The rates set by government as guidance for reimbursing fuel costs.
Agreed supply capacity or available capacity – an agreed maximum amount of electricity that a local distribution network operator must make available to your supply at any time (measured in kVA).
BEV – Battery Electric Vehicle. A vehicle driven solely by a battery powered electric motor(s).
Carbon footprint – total CO2e greenhouse gases emitted over the period of a year by an organisation/vehicle.
CCS – Carbon Capture and Storage.
Charge point – a single piece of charging equipment housing one or multiple sockets for charging BEVs. Depending on the specification of the charge point, it will deliver AC electricity at up to 7.4kW, 22kW or 43kW, or DC electricity at 50kW or above. The rate at which electricity can be drawn will also depend on the vehicle.
Charger – another term for a charge point.
CHP – Combined Heat and Power.
CNG, LNG, LPG – Compressed Natural Gas, Liquefied Natural Gas, Liquefied Petroleum Gas.
CO2e – carbon dioxide equivalent. A standardised method of measuring a carbon footprint. Expresses the impact of different greenhouse gases in terms of the equivalent quantity of CO2 (carbon dioxide) emitted to create the same amount of climate warming.
CPS – ChargePlace Scotland.
DC – Direct Current (electricity).
DNO, iDNO – Distribution Network Operator, Independent Distribution Network Operator. The owner and operator of power lines and infrastructure in an area’s electricity transmission network.
Downstream emissions – Downstream emissions result from the use or disposal of a business’s products or services. They are generated by a product or service when they are used and disposed of by a consumer.
Dynamic load management – software-based solution designed for managing the charging of multiple BEVs simultaneously.
EfW – Energy from Waste.
Emission factor – a coefficient that allows the conversion of activity data into GHG emissions.
EV – Electric Vehicle., A vehicle that uses an electric power source, can be BEV or FCEV.
EVCI – Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure.
FCEV – Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle, electric vehicle powered by hydrogen.
GHG – greenhouse gas. Gases in the atmosphere that are responsible for reflecting solar radiation back towards the Earth’s surface. Higher levels of greenhouse gases are responsible for atmospheric warming. Common greenhouse gases include water vapor, carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and ozone (O3).
GVW, MAM – Gross Vehicle Weight, Maximum Authorised Mass.
HDV, HGV, HCV – Heavy Duty Vehicle, Heavy Goods Vehicle, Heavy Commercial Vehicle. Freight vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of more than 3.5 tonnes (trucks) or passenger transport vehicles of more than 8 seats (buses and coaches).
HVO – Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil. A drop-in diesel replacement fuel.
ICE – Internal Combustion Engine vehicle. A vehicle powered by a diesel or petrol combustion engine.
kWh – Kilowatt-Hour. A unit of energy equal to one kilowatt (kW) of power sustained for one hour.
LCV – Light Commercial Vehicle. Vans with a gross vehicle weight of up to 3.5 tonnes (4.25 tonnes derogation for BEV).
LEZ – Low Emission Zone. An area with restricted access to vehicles with emissions over a certain threshold to improve air quality. Restrictions vary in different areas, with vehicle access usually granted by paying a fee or restricted to certain times of day (also Ultra Low Emission Zone ULEZ in London, and Clean Air Zone CAZ in the rest of the UK).
Modular batteries – a battery designed to work in tandem with other battery packs of the same specification.
OEM – Original Equipment Manufacturer.
PM – Particulate Matter. Fine particles suspended in the air. These can be natural, like pollen, or manmade such as soot. Inhaling some types of PM can be damaging to health.
PHEV – Plug-in-Hybrid Electric Vehicle, a vehicle with two separate drive trains enabling it to be driven by either its battery-powered electric motor, its petrol/diesel engine, or a combination of both.
Power factor – an expression of efficiency of the transfer of energy. It is usually expressed as a percentage: the lower the percentage, the less efficient the power usage.
PV – solar Photovoltaic, method of renewable electricity production.
REGO – Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin.
RTFO – Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation.
SMR – Service Maintenance and Repair, vehicle maintenance.
SMR – Steam Methane Reforming. A method of hydrogen production.
SoC – State of Charge. The level of charge of a battery. A battery with an SoC of 100% would be said to be fully charged.
SUV – Sport Utility Vehicle. Larger vehicles traditionally for multipurpose off-road use, but have recently become popular for all uses, including in urban environments.
T&D – Transmission and Distribution (electricity network).
TCO, WLC – Total Cost of Ownership, Whole Life Cost. A method of cost analysis taking account of capital and operational costs.
Uplift factor – Relates to real world values. It considers vehicle types and behaviour variations. On average CO2 emissions in real traffic are higher than indicated by the OEMs.
Upstream emissions – Most easily understood as those associated with things the organisation buys. They occur during the production of goods or services that a business purchases or uses.
V2G – Vehicle to Grid.
WAV – Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle.
WLTP – World Harmonised Light Vehicles Test Procedure. The testing process for vehicles under specific conditions to determine elements such as emissions rating and BEV battery range.
WTW, WTT, TTW – well to wheel, well to tank, tank to wheel. A measure of scope limits in greenhouse gas reporting.
ZEV – zero emission vehicle. A vehicle that emits no tailpipe emissions, can be a BEV or a FCEV.