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ProPilot
Nissan’s name for self-driving technology, which will steer, accelerate and brake automatically by using sensors.
PHEV
Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle. A petrol or diesel car, like the BMW X3 plug-in hybrid, that also has a battery which can be plugged in to give electric powered driving. When the battery is flat it uses the petrol or diesel engine and will no longer be emission free.
PCH
Personal Contract Hire. A way of financing a car which is sort of like renting it for years rather than days.
PCP
Personal Contract Purchase. Another way of financing a car. Rather than pay off the entire value of the car over a few years, you only pay the depreciation and the interest. At the end, you can either hand the car back or pay the remaining value and buy it.
PiCG
Plug-in Car Grant. This is a government grant towards the cost of an electric vehicle, which has sadly been discontinued for cars but is still available on some vans. It helps make EVs more affordable and is automatically applied by the dealer when you buy the vehicle.
PEM
Proton Exchange Membrane. The basic building block of a fuel cell and likely to be something we hear a lot more about in the future. Nothing to do with the Malaysian car brand favoured by minicab drivers.
Plug-in Hybrid
A petrol or diesel car that also has a small battery that can be plugged in to give anywhere from 10-50 miles of electric range. When the battery is flat it uses the petrol or diesel engine and will no longer emission free.
Preheat
A way to increase range by heating (or cooling) the interior of an electric car while it is plugged into the mains rather than using the battery power. Means you never have to use de-icer or a scraper again. Yeah!
PAYG
Pay As You Go. A term used for the ability to pay for charging when you’re out and about using contactless payment. All charging points will provide this service by the end of 2020.
Powerwall
Tesla’s brand name for a battery used in your home to store electricity, usually gathered from renewable sources such as solar panels.
POB
A slightly disturbing puppet from late 1980s children’s TV.
Pure EV
A car that gets its power solely from a battery which is charged by plugging it in. When the battery runs out it won’t go any more and it’s emission free.
Preconditioning
A way to increase range by heating (or cooling) the interior of an electric car while it is plugged into the mains rather than using the battery power. Means you never have to use de-icer or a scraper again. Yeah! Also known preheating.
PBV
Purpose Built Vehicle - a generic term for electric vehicles which are designed for a specific purpose, such as parcel delivery or taxis.
Plug and Charge
Technology pioneered by Tesla which means you can simply plug your car into a public charger and it will start charging automatically, with payment billed to your account.
