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EV glossary

EV glossary

A plain-English glossary of the electric-vehicle terms Filipino drivers run into — from BEV and CCS2 to kWh and regenerative braking. Each term gets a clear, Philippine-aware definition so you can shop, charge and drive with confidence.

AC charging
AC charging uses alternating current — the same kind of electricity in your wall socket — and is the slower, everyday way to charge an EV. The car's onboard charger converts that AC into the DC the battery needs, and the charger's rating (commonly 7–11 kW in the Philippines) — not the wall box — usually sets how fast you can charge. It is ideal for charging overnight at home or topping up over several hours at malls and offices.
BEV
A BEV (battery electric vehicle) runs entirely on electricity stored in a battery, with no petrol or diesel engine at all. You charge it by plugging into a wall box at home or a public charger, and it produces zero tailpipe emissions. Most of the EVs sold in the Philippines today — like the BYD Dolphin or Nissan Leaf — are BEVs.
CCS2
CCS2 (Combined Charging System 2) is the DC fast-charging standard used by most EVs sold in the Philippines, as well as Europe. The inlet combines a Type 2 AC socket on top with two extra DC pins below, so one port handles both slow home charging and rapid public charging. If you are buying an EV here, CCS2 is the connector to expect.
CHAdeMO
CHAdeMO is an older DC fast-charging standard developed in Japan and used by cars such as the older Nissan Leaf. It is a separate, round connector that is being phased out globally in favour of CCS2. In the Philippines, CHAdeMO chargers are uncommon, so Leaf owners often carry or rely on the dwindling number of compatible stations.
Charging curve / taper
The charging curve describes how an EV's DC charging speed changes as the battery fills — it is fastest when the battery is low and tapers off as it approaches full. This taper is why a charge from 10% to 80% is much quicker than the last 80% to 100%. For road trips, it is usually faster overall to charge to about 80% and move on rather than wait for a full battery.
DC fast charging
DC fast charging delivers direct current straight into the battery, bypassing the car's slower onboard charger, so it can add a lot of range in minutes rather than hours. Public DC fast chargers in the Philippines typically range from around 50 kW up to 180 kW or more. It is what you use on a road trip or a quick top-up, not for everyday home charging.
EV
EV stands for electric vehicle: any vehicle that uses one or more electric motors for propulsion. In everyday Philippine use, "EV" usually means a fully battery-powered car (a BEV), though the term technically also covers plug-in hybrids. EVs are charged from electricity rather than refuelled with petrol or diesel.
EVIDA law
EVIDA is the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (Republic Act No. 11697), the Philippine law passed in 2022 to accelerate EV adoption. It sets targets for charging stations, requires certain establishments and fleets to provide charging or include EVs, and offers incentives such as reduced fees and tax perks. It is the main policy framework behind the country's growing EV and charging market.
EVSE
EVSE stands for Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment — the technical term for the charging hardware, whether a home wall box or a public charging station. It covers the cable, plug, and safety electronics that manage the flow of power to your car. In everyday Philippine conversation people just say "charger," but EVSE is the term used in specs and regulations.
GB/T
GB/T is the national EV charging standard used in China, covering both AC and DC charging with its own connector design. Cars built strictly to the Chinese market use it, but Chinese brands sold officially in the Philippines — such as BYD — ship with CCS2 instead. You may only encounter GB/T on grey-market or imported units.
HEV
An HEV (hybrid electric vehicle) combines a petrol engine with a small battery and electric motor, but you never plug it in — the battery recharges itself from the engine and from braking. This improves fuel economy in stop-and-go traffic but the car still runs fundamentally on petrol. The Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid and many Toyota/Lexus models sold here are HEVs.
Home charging / wallbox
Home charging means topping up your EV where you park overnight, usually with a wall box — a wall-mounted AC charger rated around 7–11 kW that is faster and safer than a normal socket. For most Filipino owners it is the cheapest and most convenient option, since you charge at residential Meralco rates while you sleep. A typical install needs a dedicated circuit and a licensed electrician.
ICE
ICE stands for internal combustion engine — the conventional petrol or diesel engine that has powered cars for over a century. "ICE car" is simply the term EV owners use for a traditional vehicle. Compared with EVs, ICE cars have more moving parts, higher running costs per kilometre and produce tailpipe emissions.
kW
A kW (kilowatt) measures power — the rate at which energy flows — so for charging it tells you how fast electricity is going into the battery. A 7 kW home wall box charges far more slowly than a 60 kW public DC charger. Think of kW as the "flow rate" of the charging hose, separate from kWh, which is how much fits in the tank.
kWh
A kWh (kilowatt-hour) is the unit of energy and the standard way to state an EV battery's capacity — like the litres of an EV's fuel tank. The advertised figure is usually total capacity; the usable capacity is a little lower because the car keeps some in reserve. A 60 kWh battery stores roughly twice the energy of a 30 kWh one and so goes further, and your electricity bill also charges per kWh — setting your home charging cost: kWh used times your Meralco rate.
MHEV
An MHEV (mild hybrid electric vehicle) uses a small battery and a starter-generator to assist the petrol engine, smooth out stop-start and trim fuel use. Unlike a full hybrid, it cannot move on electric power alone — the electric system only supports the engine. The fuel savings are modest compared with a full HEV or PHEV.
Onboard charger (OBC)
The onboard charger (OBC) is the unit built into the EV that converts AC electricity from a home or public AC charger into the DC the battery needs. Its rating — for example 7 kW or 11 kW — caps how fast the car can charge on AC, no matter how powerful the wall box is. DC fast chargers bypass the OBC entirely, which is why they are so much quicker.
One-pedal driving
One-pedal driving uses strong regenerative braking so that lifting off the accelerator slows the car firmly — often enough to come to a complete stop — without touching the brake pedal. It feels unusual at first but becomes intuitive and is well suited to heavy Metro Manila traffic. It also maximises energy recovery and reduces brake wear.
PHEV
A PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle) pairs a rechargeable battery and electric motor with a normal petrol engine. You can drive short distances — often 40–80 km — on electricity alone after charging, then the engine takes over for longer trips, so you never have range anxiety. PHEVs are popular in the Philippines for drivers who want EV running costs in the city but petrol convenience for provincial drives.
Public charging
Public charging refers to shared chargers in places like malls, fuel stations, hotels and along expressways, available to any EV driver. Stations may offer slower AC or rapid DC fast charging, and you typically pay per kWh or per session through an app. In the Philippines the public network is expanding quickly, and a live charger map helps you find and reserve a working station before you set off.
Range
Range is how far an EV can travel on a single full charge, usually quoted in kilometres. Official figures come from standardised test cycles — usually WLTP, the current standard (older NEDC numbers run more optimistic) — so real-world range in Philippine heat, traffic and aircon use is typically lower. When comparing cars, look at usable battery size in kWh alongside the claimed range.
Range anxiety
Range anxiety is the worry that an EV will run out of battery before you reach your destination or the next charger. It is most common with new EV drivers and on long provincial trips where charging is sparse. In practice it eases as you learn your car's real range and as the Philippine charging network grows — and tools like a live charger map help a lot.
Regenerative braking
Regenerative braking turns the electric motor into a generator when you lift off the accelerator or brake, converting the car's momentum back into electricity to recharge the battery. This recovers energy that a normal car would waste as heat, extending range — especially in stop-and-go city traffic. It also reduces wear on the brake pads, since the motor does much of the slowing.
State of charge (SoC)
State of charge, or SoC, is how full the battery is right now, expressed as a percentage — the EV equivalent of a fuel gauge. 100% is full and 0% is empty; many owners keep daily charging to around 80% to prolong battery life and only fill to 100% before long trips. DC fast charging also slows down as SoC climbs past about 80%.
Type 2 connector
The Type 2 connector (also called Mennekes) is the standard plug for AC charging on EVs sold in the Philippines and Europe. It is the seven-pin plug you use for home wall-box charging and for slower public AC chargers. On most modern EVs the Type 2 socket forms the top half of a combined CCS2 inlet, which adds two DC pins below it — so a single port handles both AC and DC fast charging.
Vehicle-to-load (V2L)
Vehicle-to-load (V2L) lets an EV act as a giant power bank, using its battery to run ordinary appliances, tools or lights through a built-in socket or adapter. In the Philippines this is especially handy during brownouts and typhoons, or for powering equipment at outdoor events. Cars like the BYD Atto 3 and Hyundai Ioniq 5 are popular partly for their V2L capability.

Keep exploring

Now that the lingo makes sense, put it to use: browse EV models, find charging near you, open the live charger map, estimate your EV-vs-gas savings or read the latest EV news.