Important EV terms and functioning explained

With the EV wave growing bigger, everyone around is surfing along with it and is being bombarded with different jargons like true range, IP rating, OTA, and many more. But what does any of it mean? Or how do the bits work? Let us guide you through and make understanding EVs easier. 

True Range, ARAI Range and Battery capacity 

While advertising/presenting their products, EV manufacturers usually mention the true and ARAI range. The latter is the range figure achieved by the brand during the vehicle’s test runs with extremely calculated parameters to meet ideal conditions. Not to mention, true range is often less than ARAI range.  

The true range on other hand is a tad different. It is the kilometers clocked by the EV in one full charge but in normal riding conditions. This includes varying traffic conditions, temperatures, roads and surface angles.  

Battery capacity in simple terms is the maximum amount of charge held in the battery cells. It reduces as the EV gets moving and are also susceptible to factors like heat. Moreover, the battery capacity is usually measured in kWh. Higher the number of kWh(s) better the range.  

Battery Management System (BMS) 

BMS is one of the most important units of an EV. It makes sure your EV’s battery runs optimally and maintains the temperature for the cells to not catch fire. BMS ensures precise thermal management right from charging control, cooling the pack and altering the performance as well.  

IP Rating 

While going through brochures or even specifications, you might come across the ‘IP rating’ of a battery. Usually, it’s IP67/66/65, wherein IP stands for Ingress Protection and the remaining digits are for protection from dust/solid particles (first digit) and water/other fluid-based particles (second digit). 

Over The Air Updates (OTA) 

Making life a tad easier, quite a lot of EVs nowadays get OTA updates. This means you can sit home and update your e-scooter with all the latest updates that the manufacturer launches. You can avail of the software updates by connecting the vehicle to your smartphone via Bluetooth or using the SIM card that’s embedded in it. 

Motor Rating 

Along with the battery, the motor too plays an equally important role for the EV. It’s the engine of an electric vehicle and functions in tandem with the battery. The motor gets a continuous power rating and a peak power figure as well.