AC
Alternating Current. A type of electricity flow, used for charging electric vehicles at slower speeds on chargers like a home wall box. Also half of an Australian rock band.
Autopilot
Tesla’s name for self-driving technology. The car can drive itself in certain situations using a series of high definition cameras and ultrasonic sensors.
AFV
Alternatively Fuelled Vehicle. A car that runs on fuel other than traditional petrol or diesel. See also PHEV, EV, BEV, FCEVS, HEVs.
A/C
Air Conditioning. Keeps you cool in summer and helps demist faster in winter. It takes power from the battery in an electric car though, so it’ll have a small impact on the range.
AC/DC
An Australian rock band or types of electricity flow, depending on how you spent your youth. See both AC and DC.
AVAS
Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System. This is the artificial noise generator fitted to electric vehicles to help pedestrians and cyclists hear them coming. They range from a simple note to chimes developed by famous record producers.
ADAS
This stands for 'advanced driver assistance systems' – things like speed limit warnings, lane keep assist and emergency braking. Quality can be a bit patchy, picking up the wrong speed limits, overly aggressive lane centring, that sort of thing. Certain ADAS features (like the ones we've mentioned) can usually be turned off if the bonging is too annoying, but legally have to be reset for every journey for safety reasons.
