Easter Egg
An unexpected and usually hidden feature in a car’s software which owners enjoy finding. Commonly found in Tesla models. Can also refer to oval shaped confectionery which is gifted in large quantities around spring time religious festivals to people who write a helpful dictionary about EVs. Please.
EcoMode
A setting on a car which makes it use energy more efficiently, usually by cutting the performance and power. Or, a setting on a karaoke machine which makes it sound like you’re in a cave.
Electric Bike
A bicycle with an electric motor. Which is Tom’s kind of bike.
Economy 7
Also known as off-peak. An electricity tariff which makes it cheaper to use power at night. Useful for charging cars!
E-REV
Extended Range Electric Vehicle. A car powered by a battery (which you plug in) that also has a petrol or diesel generator which is used to extend its battery range when needed. Or a Yorkshireman addressing a vicar.
Electric Highway
A well connected route of regular charging points found along the UK motorway network. It has been the butt of many jokes among electric car users as it was woeful, but the network has been taken over and improvements are happening fast.
EVHS
Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme. This is a grant from the nice folk from OLEV which provides £500 off the cost of buying & installing a home charging point like the ones from BP Chargemaster.
E-Pedal
Ginny’s favourite part of the Nissan Leaf. This allows you to slow the car down and accelerate using a single pedal so the car can get extra energy from regenerative braking.
EPA
EPA stands for the Environmental Protection Agency, an organisation from the US which conducts independent testing of car efficiency. Its figures are generally closer to what you'd expect in the real world than the WLTP numbers used in the UK and Europe, but not all cars sold here are tested.
Efficiency Rating
The Electrifying Efficiency Rating (or E-Rating for short) is an industry standard score to measure the overall efficiency of electric cars. It uses an algorithm taking into account a number of factors, including how well the car converts electrical power into miles on the road, speed of charging, power saving gadgets and real-world consumption. More details can be found here.