Jargon

One of the more consistent forms of jargon in EV buying, WLTP is the "official" range figure you see online and in brochures. Think of WLTP as a standardised lab test that uses a 30-minute cycle testing fuel consumption and electric range, alongside emissions and phases designed to cover driving across several places, be it city, rural, or even on a highway. The test isn't long, covering less than 24 kilometres, and uses specific speeds in a controlled environment to work out how far a car can travel on a tank of petrol, or in the case of electric vehicles, on a full battery.

WLTP is considered to be more accurate than the old "NEDC" test, but can still be seen as a little more optimistic than what you will get on a rainy day travelling down any Australian motorway.

It's why WLTP scores can feel like a "best guess" at times, and why your use-case and own experiences may (and probably will) vary.

The on-the-fence equivalent for EV buyers, also known as a "hybrid". These options still have electric inside, but use a smaller battery for short electric trips (like the school run) and a petrol engine for when that runs out. You'll still want to plug it in to get the most out of it, hence the name, but for longer distances, it's back to the servo.

PHEVs do need to run two engines, however, and that can make them a little heaver. It also means that you'll still need to check your oil, because there are two engines here, and one of them is based on an old-school counterpart. Kinda sorta.

The "pure" electric car, a BEV or Battery Electric Vehicle is the EV most of us know and might be eyeing. No petrol tank, no exhaust pipe, just a giant battery and some motors. If you want to stop visiting petrol stations entirely, this is your target.

Also known simply as an "EV", these cars don't take oil because they're fully electric. They're not exactly maintenance free, but the hardware is largely locked down, so you mightn't need to do anywhere near as much.

The "old school" way and possibly the car you have now (especially if you're at this site). A standard petrol or diesel car uses an internal combustion engine. We use this term mostly to compare how much money you are currently setting on fire at the pump versus what you would spend on electricity. Watch those dollars melt away when you could simply be using lower cost energy from solar and the like.