Discover definitions of terms commonly used in relation to fuel efficiency standards
Electric vehicles (EVs): Vehicles powered at least partly by electricity and able to be recharged by plugging in to an external source of power. This includes battery electric vehicles, (BEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) and includes passenger, light and heavy road vehicles.
Battery electric vehicle (BEV): An electric vehicle that exclusively uses chemical energy stored in rechargeable battery packs to power at least one electric motor with no secondary source of propulsion.
Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV): A hybrid electric vehicle whose battery can be recharged by plugging it into an external source of electric power, as well as by its on-board engine and generator.
Hybrid electric vehicle (HEV): A vehicle powered by an internal combustion engine and one or more electric motors, which uses energy stored in a rechargeable battery pack, which is unable to be recharged by an external source of power.
Hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV): An electric vehicle that uses electricity from a fuel cell powered by compressed hydrogen, rather than electricity from batteries.
Charging / recharging: The process of restoring electrical energy in a battery or a battery-operated vehicle by connecting it to a power supply.
Fuel Efficiency Standards: Fuel Efficiency Standards set an average emissions target for vehicle manufacturers, or local distributors, typically measured in grams of CO2 released per kilometre, and averaged across the new vehicles they sell.