What does EV stand for in the context of cars?

In the context of cars, EV stands for electric vehicle.

An electric vehicle uses one or more electric motors for propulsion instead of relying solely on an internal-combustion engine. Energy is usually stored in a rechargeable battery, although some electric vehicles use other systems, such as fuel cells. In everyday automotive discussion, EV most commonly refers to a battery-electric vehicle, or BEV.

Electric cars have no tailpipe emissions while driving, and their motors can convert stored electrical energy into motion efficiently. They also use regenerative braking, which sends some energy back to the battery when the vehicle slows. The electricity used to charge an EV can still have environmental impacts depending on how it is generated.

EV is sometimes used broadly to include plug-in hybrids, but the terminology can vary. A battery-electric vehicle runs entirely on electricity, while a plug-in hybrid combines an electric motor and battery with a combustion engine. “Electronic vehicle,” “energy vehicle,” and “engine vehicle” are not the standard expansion of EV in automotive usage.