Is terminology important? Language is the way we communicate with each other, and proper understanding between us is based on agreed mutual understanding of the words and phrases we use in communication. On the other hand, Marketing departments thrive on inventing new phrases to describe products. In the world of green transportation the specific phrase of concern is this: Extended Range Electric Vehicle a.k.a. EREV. This is sometimes rendered as Electric Vehicle with Extended Range (EVER) but is the same concept either way. Some marketing departments, originating it seems with General Motors, have invented this phrase, originating it seems with the Chevy Volt, for their own reasons. The use of EREV is in place of existing phrases like Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) and Serial Hybrid, that perfectly and adequately describe the Chevy Volt and other EREV's.

I wrote an article on this, When is an electric car not an electric car? which turned into a large controversy of discussion across several discussion boards. The discussion was intense and enlightening.

Basic definitions

The TBD [[[ Green Transportation Acronyms ]]] lists all the acronyms and terminology I can find related to green transportation.

NOTE: A hybrid vehicle is a vehicle that uses two or more distinct power sources to move the vehicle.

An EREV by definition has two or more power sources. One is the electric drive train, the other is the "range extender". Hence, by definition an EREV is a Hybrid Vehicle, because it has two or more distinct power sources.

The existing vehicles where the manufacturer insists on the EREV name are: Chevy Volt, Fisker Karma, Fisker Atlantic, Via Motors. In each case the vehicle can be plugged in to recharge the battery pack, as well as run the gasoline engine as a generator to charge the pack. This means each of the vehicles are Plug-in Hybrids (PHEV).