HPI is helping us understand the difference between the confusing alternative fuelled vehicles (AFVs) vehicle terminology.

Take a look at the list below.

AFVs Alternative Fuel Vehicles – vehicles not powered by petrol or diesel internal combustion engines.
BEV Battery Electric Vehicle – vehicle powered solely by a battery charged from an external power source.
BIK Benefit In Kind – non-wage compensation to employees; includes company cars
CAZ Clean Air Zone
EV Electric Vehicle – the broadest category of vehicle, including all types of electrified vehicles
HEV Hybrid Electric Vehicle – vehicle combining a conventional internal combustion engine with an electric propulsion system
ICE Internal Combustion Engine – a conventional petrol or diesel engine
LEZ Low Emission Zone
M1 – vehicles designed and constructed for the carriage of passengers and comprising no more than eight seats in addition to the driver’s seat
mHEV Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle – a vehicle with an internal combustion engine assisted by an electric generator; mHEVs cannot run on electric power alone
NEDC New European Drive Cycle – test to assess the emission levels and fuel economy of passenger cars
NEDC Correlated –  WLTP-derived CO2 values translated back to NEDC-equivalent values
PEV Plug-in Electric Vehicle – includes both PHEV and BEV
PHEV Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle – an HEV in which the battery may be charged from an external power source
PiCG Plug-in Car Grant – UK Government-funded plan to subsidise the price of plug-in cars (PHEVs and BEVs)
REX Range Extender – small internal combustion engine used to provide power to a BEV when the battery is exhausted
ULEZ Ultra-Low Emission Zone – an area within which all vehicles need to meet exhaust emission standards
WLTP Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure – replaced NEDC in the UK from September 2018

“Most car manufacturers are making significant investments in their EV ranges in particular. As a result, the UK will see a rapid expansion in the number of models available and the technology used.”

“The rise in the number of alternative fuelled vehicles about to hit the market marks a radical step forward. Many manufacturers are planning to electrify their entire product range by the middle of the next decade.”

Said Chris Plumb, senior valuations editor and EV specialist at HPI.