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Car Club
A scheme which allows city residents to rent a car (often electric) by the hour and return it to a dedicated parking spot. Very common in large cities.
Category 2
A term used by the UK Government for a car with CO2 emissions of less than 50g/km that can travel at least 10 miles without emitting any emissions at all. See ‘PHEV’.
Charging Rate
The speed at which a battery will accept electricity while being charged.
CVT
Continuously Variable Transmission. A type of automatic gearbox which is common on hybrid vehicles.
CCS
Combined Charging System. A standard EU fast charging connector that combines two DC pins arranged below the Type 2 connector. Fast becoming the most common form of electric car connector or ‘charging plug’ to get power in your battery quickly.
Charging Point
A place to fill up your car with electricity.
Charge flap
A door which covers the electric charging port on an electric car. Or when someone becomes agitated about not being able to plug their car in.
Connector Type
Electric vehicles are charged via a cable, which uses connectors. One fits into the car, the second into the charging outlet.
Commando Cable
A wire which connects your electric car to a charging socket. Or a former Liberal Democrat leader wearing no underwear.
Category 1
A term used by the UK Government for a car with CO2 emissions of less than 50g/km that can travel at least 70 miles without emitting any emissions at all, making it eligible for the Plug-in Car Grant. See ‘BEV’.
Charging Capacity
The amount of electricity which can be squeezed into a battery.
Cost per KwH
Cost per kilowatt hour. Think of this like the price you pay for a litre of petrol or diesel. So to work out the charging costs of an electric car multiply the cost of electricity per unit (kWh) by the battery capacity of the model in kW.
Cells
The individual parts of a battery which combine to make the whole pack. Or where you’ll end up if you try and show off a Porsche Taycan’s acceleration on the public road.
ChDeMo
A large, round four pin charging plug, which is only used for rapid charging points and normally works with EVs manufactured by brands like Mitsubishi and Nissan. It can also offer Vehicle to Grid (V2G) but has less power than CCS and requires two separate sockets.
CO2
Carbon Dioxide. A gas is produced when burning fuels which causes global warming. The amount of CO2 a car produces is measured and taxed.
Cheetah Stance
The suspension setting used by a Tesla just before it launches in maximum-attack acceleration mode. Not to be confused with a 1998 hit single by Neneh Cherry.
Climate Control
Heating and air conditioning inside a car.
CPO
Charge Point Operator - the companies which own and run public charge points.
