The EV industry is an innovative space with new technologies arising quicker than individuals can keep up with the terms used to describe them. This glossary aims to gather them in one spot and serve as a reference point to refer back to. The list will be updated periodically as the transportation transformation continues. Click on one of the letters in the table below to quickly jump to that section.
Automotive Recycling: the process of disassembling end-of-life vehicles to recover parts for reuse and to repair vehicles still in operation.
Artificial Intelligence: teaching computer systems to do tasks that require human-level intelligence, via the input of large amounts of data. Skills computers can be taught include language production, visual identification, and decision making.
Carbon Capture: technologies being employed at stationary electric power generation facilities to trap carbon emissions after they have been emitted but before they enter Earth’s atmosphere. Certain carbon capture technologies are employed pre-combustion as well.
Carbon Cycle: the flow of carbon between Earth’s atmosphere, ocean, and organisms on land. Carbon is required for all life on Earth and where the carbon is stored within the cycle has a large impact on Earth’s temperature. See: NASA.
Carbon Dioxide Equivalent (CO2e): instead of differentiating and quantifying the various greenhouse gases emitted, this unit is used to more easily discuss greenhouse gases in a single common unit. CO2e takes the impact of the various gases in terms of global warming potential (GWP) and presents them in the equivalent amount of CO2 it would take to have that same global warming impact.
Carbon Footprint: “the total consequences of an individual’s life in terms of their impact on the planet via the production and usage of fossil fuels”; this term was originally coined by oil giant BP and continues to serve as a tool to assess an individual or group’s impact on the planet with varying degrees of efficacy. SHiFT reviewed different carbon footprint calculators on the #talkSHiFT page, available here and here.
Carbon Neutral: When an “actor’s net contribution to global CO2 emissions is zero. Any CO2 emissions attributable to an actor’s activities are compensated by CO2 reductions or removals exclusively claimed by the actor”. Note: Net zero is often preferable as a valid end-target, as it considers GHGs other than carbon, unlike the concept of carbon neutrality.
Carbon Offset: broad term for the act of reducing GHG emissions to compensate for emissions that were released elsewhere by that same actor. This can occur through one’s support of increasing carbon storage in trees or other GHG reduction methods.
Carbon Sequestration: the storage of removed/captured carbon in geological features or through biological methods, such as forests, soil, and oceans. This occurs naturally within the environment but it is also being encouraged artificially to reduce the rate of global warming. Bodies of water are the greatest tool for biological carbon sequestration, absorbing 25% of carbon emitted into the Earth’s atmosphere.
Cash 4 Clunkers (C4C): the 2009 Great Recession program under the Obama Administration, officially called the Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS). The program aimed to stimulate the economy and improve fuel efficiency on the roads by incentivizing vehicle scrappage for older, less efficient vehicles. While the initial uptake of the program was significant, the long-term impacts of C4C are often up for debate. Regardless, it proved an immense amount of public interest in accelerated vehicle retirement programs.
Circular Economy: In a perfect scenario, this is an economic system in which all material circulates in a production cycle and the would-be waste is used instead as an input to continue the cycle. This term is in opposition to the traditional linear economy where ‘take, make, and dispose’ is the typical pathway materials and products pass through.
Critical Rare [Earth] Metals (CRM): minerals, a total of 17, that are critical components in the clean energy transition I.e., copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt. Thus far the materials for lithium-ion battery materials have been mined mostly in China, South America, the DRC, Indonesia, and South Africa but there is growing interest in deep-sea mining to access additional mineral deposits.
Direct Current Fast Charging (DCFC): rapid charging for heavily trafficked areas, most current PHEVs are not compatible with these chargers.
As of July 2023, there are 32,000 publicly available DCFC fast-chargers in the U.S., according to the Department of Energy, and 2.3 million EVs. This comes out to a ratio of 1 charger per every 72 vehicles.
Direct emissions: emissions from sources that are owned or controlled by the reporting entity, usually through a business directly burning fossil fuels. Also called scope 1 emissions. From things like heating, transport, and stationary fossil fuel combustion process emissions.
Downstream emissions: emissions during the use and disposal phase of the product or service. The GHG Protocol’s seven categories include processing of sold products, transport to distribute sold products, use of said products, EOL treatment, downstream leased assets, franchises, and investments.
Ecological Overshoot: the use of resources of an amount exceeding the Earth’s ability to renew in an entire year
E-Drive: the components and systems that convert electricity into power in the drive system of an electric vehicle
End-of-Life Vehicles (ELVs): When a vehicle gets to a point where its usefulness is largely expended due to age, mileage, condition, needs of repair, or expense of maintenance the vehicle reaches its end-of-life point.
Federal Highway Administration (FHA): government agency under the U.S. Department of Transportation. Responsible for maintaining and building upon existing mobility infrastructure to create a safer, more efficient, and more sustainable system.
Fleet turnover: the process of an entity’s vehicles in use transforming from one technology or feature to an alternative. Complete fleet turnover occurs when an entity’s stock of vehicles undergo a significant shared change in technology.
Fuel-switching: the process of switching fuel types to address one’s energy needs in an alternative way. switching from carbon-intense fuels to lower or zero-carbon alternatives to meet requirements for heat, power, and electrical generation. Often requires replacement of the customer-facing technology such as an oil heating system.
Global Warming Potential (GWP): an index used to compare the warming impacts of different greenhouse gases. Provides a measurement relative to the emissions associated with 1 ton of carbon dioxide, allowing individuals to better understand how efficiently the relevant gases absorb energy and how long they remain in the atmosphere.
Greenhouse Gases (GHGs): types include carbon dioxide, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), methane, nitrogen trifluorides (NF3), nitrous oxide, perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulfur hexafluorides. Source.
Greenhouse Gas Effect: the process by which Earth’s [greenhouse] gases are trapping heat and gradually warming Earth’s surface. Though this is a natural process, the ever-growing high concentration of gases is understood to be a direct result of human action post-industrial-revolution and the rate of warming is far too quick to be sustainable.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR): the vehicle’s weight plus its cargo and passengers. This rating is used to create the classification system used by the FHA that groups vehicles in light, medium, and heavy-duty vehicles. The classification is as follows:
Light-duty: GVWR under 10,000 lbs. So passenger cars, pickup trucks, and some smaller cargo trucks fall into this category.
Medium-duty: GVWR from 10,001 lbs to 26,000 lbs.
Heavy-duty: Requires a commercial driver’s license to operate. GVWR above 26,001 lbs.
Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs): Group of ozone-depleting gases, often found in cooling and refrigeration systems. Very powerful pollutant with a high GWP. Makes up approximately 2% of global GHG emissions today.
Indirect emissions: these are GHG emissions that result from a reporting entity but are derived from sources owned by other entities. Indirect emissions can occur through purchased electricity for operations, or emissions produced by the transportation of goods for a company. Indirect emissions are Scope 2 and 3 emissions.
Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles (ICEVs): your typical gas-engine powered car.
Level 1, 2, 3 Charging: EV charging capabilities are divided into levels based on the charger’s level of power output.
Level 1 charging: Charging that is available from a standard household outlet, usually 120 volts in the United States. It can take a full 24 hours to charge a fully empty EV. Europe does not have level 1 charging as their standard electricity is higher, at 230 volts.
Level 2 charging: The charging level at most established charging locations. A full charge with a level 2 charger takes an average of 4 hours for current EVs. 240V output.
Level 3 charging: Fast charging that uses direct current to charge EV batteries quickly, often in a half hour. Tesla’s superchargers deliver level 3 charging rates. Can go as high as 900V.
Life Cycle Analysis (LCA): studying a product’s impact from ‘cradle to grave’; systematic analysis of a product or service’s environmental impact that tracks indicators for the entirety of the product’s existence, from acquiring raw material to disposal after use.
LKQ parts: Like kind and quality. Replacement parts in the same state as the original, whether that indicates new, recycled, or OEM replacement.
Material-efficiency (ME): maximizing the use of existing materials. Strategies to achieve ME include recycling, re-manufacturing, and reducing waste.
Net-zero: internationally agreed-upon target that will be achieved when the amount of greenhouse gases produced in a year is equal to the amount of emissions being removed from the Earth’s atmosphere through greenhouse gas sinks in that same year. Countries are mandated to achieve this balance by 2050 per The Paris Agreement. Related terms include carbon-neutral and climate-neutral.
Particulate Matter (PM): Microscopic-sized liquids and solids that when inhaled, cause ill effects to human and environmental health. Can be made up of many different chemicals, directly emitted from sources including combustion, or formed as the result of complex chemical reactions with pollutants from cars, industry, and power plants in the atmosphere (aka nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxides).
Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs): These vehicles have two power sources. They use batteries to power an electric motor. They also have an internal combustion engine powered by gasoline or diesel. As compared to a hybrid vehicle, these offer a larger electric-only driving range.
Rare Earth Permanent Magnets (REPMs): magnets composed of rare-earth elements. Strong, high-performance magnets that are attractive for their high strength-to-size ratio.
Recycled Original Equipment® (ROE): term trademarked by the ARA to describe auto parts taken from retired vehicles to repair vehicles still in operation.
Recycling: the process of converting and processing waste into materials or materials for new objects.
Reducer: component of the EV powertrain, along with the battery, drive motor, and inverter. Similar to a transmission in that it converts the high torque of an electric motor to more rotations per minute.
Range Anxiety: term to describe the concern many potential or existing EV drivers feel as it relates to running out of battery life before reaching a charging destination
Scope 1, 2, 3 emissions:
Scope 1: Includes only emissions that are directly controlled by the company (exclusively direct emissions).
Scope 2: Includes emissions from the generation of purchased electricity and heat. Emissions emitted indirectly by the company, from sources it does not own.
Scope 3: Includes emissions from all other sources not included in scope 1 and 2 emissions. Includes emissions from the larger process (upstream and downstream emissions, supply-chain emissions)
Social Cost of Carbon (SCC): a calculation used as input for policymakers’ decisions. Provides the cost, in USD, of the harm caused by one additional ton of carbon emissions. This tool has been used to guide policy, such as determining fuel economy standards in the United States.
Supply-chain emissions: often account for >90% of a company’s total GHG emissions. Includes the energy used to obtain, process, and transport every raw material to go into the final product. Together with use-phase emissions, these two terms cover the full life cycle of the product or service.
Use-phase emissions: can include direct and indirect emissions. Direct use-phase emissions apply only to products that directly consume energy during their use (e.g., vehicles, appliances, buildings) or directly emit GHGs during use. In comparison, indirect use-phase emissions are a result of products that indirectly consume energy. This includes washing clothing that you buy or keeping ice cream cold in the freezer. Together with supply-chain emissions, these two terms cover the full life cycle of the product or service.
Upstream emissions: emissions that stem from goods or services an entity purchases or uses. The GHG Protocol’s eight categories of upstream emissions are as follows: operational waste, capital goods, transport and distribution of purchased products, fuel, and energy use from manufacturing and extraction, business travel, employee commuting, and leased assets.
VIN (Vehicle Identification Number): 17 character, unique identifier for vehicles that is assigned by the original manufacturer
Vulnerability: an individual or group’s predisposition to be negatively affected by the impacts of climate change-related disasters and consequences as well as the unit’s ability to respond to these impacts efficiently, with sufficient resources and support.
Wastewater: water used in automotive manufacturing/remanufacturing/disassembly processes that is mixed with insoluble, synthetic, and oil-based fluids. Results in wastewater unfit for traditional disposal methods due to its high metal and/or hydrocarbon content. Treatment and disposal of wastewater in the automotive industry is heavily regulated and a key tenet of protecting valuable sources of groundwater.
Zero Emissions Vehicles (ZEVs): any vehicle that does not emit pollutants from its source of power onboard; no in-use emissions via its burning of fossil fuels. Includes hydrogen fuel cell EVs (FCEVs) and plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs), including pure battery EVs (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid EVs (PHEVs).
Also the name of the California Air Resource Board’s (CARB) program of standards for incentivizing automakers’ production of additional EVs in coming years.
Critique of the term includes the fact that while the vehicle has no in-use emissions, the emissions are frontloaded in the mining and associated processing required to make battery-grade materials.
https://netzeroclimate.org/what-is-net-zero-2/
https://www.maersk.com/insights/sustainability/2023/01/09/terminology-explained-in-green-logistics
https://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/ev-glossary/
https://impactful.ninja/carbon-capture-vs-carbon-sequestration-differences/
https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/understanding-global-warming-potentials
https://www.transportation.gov/rural/ev/toolkit/ev-basics/charging-speeds
