What does EV stand for? Most of the time the answer is electric vehicle, a car, truck, bus or scooter that is moved by an electric motor instead of, or alongside, a gasoline engine. If you see EV on a parking space, a charging sign or a car ad, that is the meaning.
Many people use EV for fully electric cars only, while others include plug in hybrids. Outside the car world, those two letters also appear in math class as expected value, in photography as exposure value and in physics as eV, the electronvolt.
Quick facts
Main meaning
Electric vehicleOther meanings
Expected value, exposure value, electronvolt (eV)Type
Initialism, said E VRelated terms
BEV, PHEV, HEV, FCEVSeen on
Parking spots, charging stations, car listings, road signsPlural
EVs
What does EV stand for in cars?
In the auto world, EV is a broad label for any vehicle that uses electricity from a battery or fuel cell to turn its wheels. Buyers and dealers split it into a few types:
| Short form | Stands for | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| BEV | Battery electric vehicle | Runs only on a battery that you charge by plugging in |
| PHEV | Plug in hybrid electric vehicle | Battery for shorter trips, gas engine for longer ones |
| HEV | Hybrid electric vehicle | Gas engine plus a small battery charged while driving; no plug |
| FCEV | Fuel cell electric vehicle | Makes electricity on board from hydrogen |
When a person says "I bought an EV," they usually mean a BEV, the kind with no gas tank at all.
Charging terms that come with EVs
Owning an EV brings its own vocabulary. Charging is often grouped into levels:
- Level 1: a regular household outlet. Slow, but fine for short daily drives.
- Level 2: a 240 volt charger at home, work or a public lot. Common for overnight charging.
- DC fast charging: high power stations along highways that can add a lot of range in a short stop.
Fast chargers use direct current (see DC), while home outlets supply alternating current (see AC). Range is usually given in miles per full charge, and battery size in kilowatt hours (kWh).
A parking sign: "EV parking only while charging." You may park there only if your electric vehicle is plugged in. Some cities ticket or tow cars that sit in these spots without charging.
EV meanings outside of cars
| Field | Stands for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Math and statistics | Expected value | "The EV of this bet is negative." |
| Photography | Exposure value | "Drop the exposure by one EV for the snow scene." |
| Physics | Electronvolt (eV) | "A visible light photon carries about 2 eV." |
| Web security | Extended validation | "The site uses an EV certificate." |
Expected value is the average result you would get if you repeated a chance event many times. Poker and sports betting fans use "plus EV" for a choice that should pay off over time. In physics, the electronvolt is written with a small e and a capital V, eV, and the capitals matter.
How to say and write EV
Say it letter by letter, "E V." The spoken letter E sounds like "ee," so the article is an: "an EV," not "a EV." The plural is EVs, with no apostrophe. Capitals are standard for the car meaning, and no periods are needed.
In a news story or report, spell out "electric vehicle" the first time if your readers might not know the letters. Why letter by letter forms like EV get called initialisms becomes clear in what is an acronym.
Examples in sentences
- "Our office added four EV chargers to the parking garage."
- "He traded his pickup for an EV with about 300 miles of range."
- "The carpool lane allows EVs with a special sticker in some states."
- "In stats class we found the EV of rolling a single die, which is 3.5."
- "Set the camera to plus one EV so the faces are not too dark."
The carpool lane rule ties into HOV lanes, where some states have let certain clean vehicles drive with one person.
Questions people ask
Is a hybrid an EV?
It depends on who is talking. A plug in hybrid is often counted as an EV because it can drive on battery power. A regular hybrid with no plug is usually not called an EV, even though it has an electric motor.
What does EV mean on a car's dashboard?
On many hybrids, an EV light or EV mode means the car is running on battery power alone, with the gas engine off. It usually works only at lower speeds and with enough charge.
What does plus EV mean in betting?
It means positive expected value: a choice that should, on average, win more than it loses if repeated many times. It says nothing about the result of any single bet.
Is it an EV or a EV?
Write an EV. Sound decides between a and an, and EV begins with an "ee" sound.
What is the difference between EV and eV?
EV in capitals usually means electric vehicle or a photo exposure value. The form eV, with a small e, is the electronvolt, a tiny unit of energy used in physics.