What does WLTP mean? A beginner's guide to EV terminology

Currently there isn't a car on the road which offers true autopilot capability, i.e. the driver relinquishes control of the vehicle at the vehicle's AI. However, there are more systems available which are getting closer to offering 'autopilot'.

Often shortened to EV (electric vehicle) or EVs (electric vehicles). The added ‘B’ is simply a reference to the battery that powers an EV.

The lower the number the better; the easier the car slices through the air, using less power to ‘fight’ against the drag. For reference, a Jeep Wrangler has a drag coefficient of 0.454 – one of the highest values of any production vehicle. The Tesla Model 3 has a drag coefficient of only 0.23.

Any vehicle: van or car, that is powered solely by a battery and electric motors. The future of motoring. Also sometimes referred to as a 'BEV' (battery electric vehicle) or 'Pure electric vehicle'.

A catch-all term for any commercial vehicle (vans, pick-up trucks etc.) with a gross weight of no more than 3.5 metric tons (3,500kg).

This area covers most of Greater London (and will be coming to some other cities too), which was introduced to penalise the heaviest diesel polluters. It’s a daily charge of £100. It mainly affects businesses using older diesel vehicles.

When the amount of greenhouse gases a country, company or individual adds to the atmosphere is balanced by the amount they remove. Reaching net zero means cutting emissions as much as possible and offsetting the rest. It’s a key goal in tackling climate change.

Often used as a substitute to reference car makers within the automotive industry such as Volkswagen or Tesla. May also be used when discussing replacement parts for vehicles – genuine ‘OEM’ parts are usually better quality and more reliable than third-party options.

Unlike normal hybrids, plug-ins typically run on electric power first. Once the battery is nearly empty, the vehicle automatically switches over to its internal combustion engine.

Rapid charging is a type of public EV charging that delivers power at 50kW or more, typically getting most EVs to 80% in around 30–60 minutes. Ideal for topping up on longer trips.

Ultra-rapid charging goes even faster, often 100kW to 350kW. Giving compatible EVs a big boost in as little as 15–20 minutes.

When an electric vehicle is put to market, it gets a WLTP range. At DriveElectric we carry out our own tests to determine the range our customers can actually expect from their EV.

Technology that allows the electric motors of an EV to put energy back into the battery. As the car slows down and the brake pedal is depressed, the electric motor swaps direction and siphons the energy back into the battery.

A technology that lets electric vehicles send power back to the grid, helping balance electricity demand and potentially saving you money by charging when energy is cheap and exporting when it’s expensive.

A broader term that includes V2G and also covers energy sharing from your EV to buildings, homes, appliances, or even other vehicles, turning your car into a flexible mobile energy source.

This is the test carried out by manufacturers to determine the range of an electric vehicle. This is effectively how efficient manufacturers claim their electric vehicles are – similar to MPG (miles per gallon) figures in traditional cars. WLTP replaced NEDC a few years ago.

A UK government policy that requires car manufacturers to sell an increasing percentage of zero-emission vehicles (like EVs) each year. Introduced in 2024 It’s designed to phase out petrol and diesel cars by 2030 and help the UK hit its net-zero targets.