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AFDC
Alternative Fuels Data Center, run by the U.S. Department of Energy
AFV
alternative fuel vehicle
AFVi
the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Institute (Las Vegas)
AGM
absorbed glass mat, a form of advanced lead acid battery
ANG
adsorbed natural gas, a lower-pressure alternative to CNG
ANGA
America’s Natural Gas Alliance, an organization of utility, E&P and other companies promoting an increased use of natural gas, including natural gas vehicles
ARRA
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (of 2009), a major source of funding for clean vehicles projects, primarily but nort exclusively through the U.S. Department of Energy recovery.gov
ARB = CARB
California Air Resources Board
autogas
common name for propane/LPG in Europe, beginning to be used in the U.S.
AVERE
AVERE is the European Association for Battery, Hybrid and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles, based in Brussels
biogas
generally the raw, unrefined precursor to biomethane, available from sources including animal waste (manure), human waste (municipal sewage) and landfills.
biomethane
methane derived from renewable sources, usually organic waste, generally upgraded to pipeline or vehicle quality, sometimes called biogas
cellulosic ethanol
ethanol derived from non-food sources, such as specialty crops or organic cellulosic (woody) waste
CAIDI
Customer Average Interruption Duration Index (or Indices), a measure used by utilities to gauge the impact of power outages. Hybrid electric vehicles with power take-off can help improve CAIDI scores
Calstart
organization based in Pasadena, Calif. that facilitates a wide range of clean transportation programs and activities, including HTUF, the Hybrid Truck User Forum. Calstart
CARB (ARB)
California Air Resources Board
CCSE
California Center for Sustainable Energy
CEC
CPUC
California Public Utilities Commission
Chademo
or CHAdeMO, association established in late summer 2009 by Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru and Tepco, effectively the new name for the international protocol for fast electric vehicle charging equipment — initially known as the JARI or Tepco protocol — Chademo (Japanese language) website
CFC
Clean Fuels Consulting, Brussels
CBM
coalbed methane, once considered a nuisance and a hazard to coal miners, increasingly being recognized as a potentially significant source of natural gas fuel
CNG
compressed natural gas
DoE
U.S. Department of Energy (EERE is DoE’s office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy)
DME
dimethyl ether, a synthetic (CH3OCH3) gaseous fuel that works well as a replacement for diesel
dual fuel
usually connotes a vehicle with a diesel-cycle (compression ignition, no spark) engine set up to run largely on natural gas (or propane-LPG), with diesel for starting and acceleration and as a “pilot” fuel to sustain combustion
EDTA
Electric Drive Transportation Association, the Washington trade group for electric vehicles
EPRI
Electric Power Research Institute, the R&D arm of the electric utilities industry.
ethanol
ethyl alcohol, a popular biofuel, often derived from corn or sugar cane, and increasingly from more desirable (because non-food) cellulosic sources (yes, it’s a popular beverage ingredient too)
EV
electric vehicle
EVAAP
EVAAP is the Electric Vehicle Association of Asia Pacific, hosted by the China Electrotechnical Society in Beijing
E&P
exploration and production, generally used to describe companies that extract and ship natural gas and petroleum in the U.S. and Canada. E&P firms have become vocal advocates of natural gas vehicles.
FCHEA
the new Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association, resulting from the October 28, 2010 merger of the National Hydrogen Association and the U.S. Fuel Cell Council
FCV
fuel cell vehicle
Fleets & Fuels
Living the dream of being the best source anywhere of real-world business intelligence on advanced technology vehicles and the fuels that drive them. Subscribe.
fuel cell
a device for making electricity, usually from hydrogen, with pure water the only emission — see PEM
GGE
gasoline gallon equivalents, commonest means of measuring CNG for sale in the U.S. One GGE equals approximately 127 cubic feet of methane.
GNA
Gladstein, Neandross & Associates (Santa Monica, Calif.)
GTI
Gas Technology Institute (Illinois)
GTL
gas-to-liquid, technology for making petroleum-equivalent fuels (diesel and aviation) from natural gas, often associated with a process known as Fischer-Tropsch
HHV
hydraulic hybrid vehicle
hybrid vehicle
a vehicle equipped, generally electrically, for regenerative braking, the gathering of energy from stopping to be applied on acceleration, reducing fuel use (and often allowing for a smaller engine entirely)
hydraulic hybrid
a hybrid vehicle that uses compressed gas, in a device known as an accumulator, in lieu of a battery to gather power/store energy for regenerative braking
IANGV
International Association for Natural Gas Vehicles, formal and legal name of NGV Global, the world trade group (and association of associations) for NGVs
JARI
Japan Automobile Research Institute, which among its other activities helps develop international standards for key electric drive vehicle components
KERS
kinetic energy recovery system, generally equivalent to regenerative braking
kWh
kilowatt hour, common way of measuring the energy capacity of a battery
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lithium ion
an increasingly popular, though still expensive high performance category of battery for electric drive vehicles
LNG
liquefied natural gas
LPG
liquefied petroleum gas, i.e. propane
LPI
liquid propane injection, an engine system by Roush Performance for dedicated propane/LPG operation
methane
CH4, the simplest of the alkanes, and the principal constituent of natural gas
methane hydrates
methane gas locked in ice, with vast quantities distributed widely around the world in sea-floor sediments and permafrost. ‘Some believe there is enough methane in the from of hydrates,’ states an excellent Oak Ridge National Laboratory summary, ‘to supply energy for hundreds, maybe thousands, of years.’
NAFTC
National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium at West Virginia University
NBB
the National Biodiesel Board, based in Jefferson City, Mo., affiliated with the National Biodiesel Foundation
NEDRA
The National Electric Drag Racing Association
NEV
neighborhood electric vehicle, largely synonymous with LSV, for low speed vehicle.
NGV
natural gas vehicle
NGV (primarily in Asia)
natural gas for vehicles, i.e. CNG or LNG
NGVAmerica
NGVAmerica is the Washington trade association formerly (and still formally) known as the Natural Gas Vehicle Coalition
NGVA Europe
NGVA Europe is a new trade association for natural gas vehicles, currently housed with member company Iveco in Madrid
NGV Global
the new name of the world natural gas vehicles trade group,still formally the International Association for Natural Gas Vehicles
NGV Global News
the online news service of NGV Global
NGVRus
the Moscow-based, Gazprom-affiliated Natural Gas Vehicle Association of Russia (Russian language website)
NiMH
nickel metal hydride, a popular battery type, especially for hybrid electric vehicles, holds most of the market today
NREL
the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, a Golden, Colo.-based unit of the U.S. Department of Energy
PERC
the Propane Education & Research Council, a Washington trade association
PHEV
plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, generally equipped with a capacious battery allowing for significant or even extended engine-off operation
propane
known also as LPG, for liquefied petroleum gas, a popular and economical alternative fuel, especially in Texas and Oklahoma
PEM
proton exchange membrane, term used to describe the type of hydrogen-to-electricity fuel cell most often used in zero-emission fuel cell vehicles, or FCVs
PSA
pressure swing adsorption, a technology for purifying such gases as biomethane or hydrogen
PTO
power take-off, a feature allowing an electric drive vehicle, usually a hybrid, to serve as a mobile generator
regen
short for regenerative braking, whereby the force needed to stop a moving vehicle is captured, usually as electricity, and then used to aid in acceleration of the vehicle, which is then known as a hybrid vehicle
Renewable Fuels Association
RFA, the Renewable Fuels Association, is the Washington, D.C.-based national trade association for the U.S. ethanol industry
RFID
Radio frequency identification, a technology of increasing importance for tagging equipment for purposes including inventory control and safety — RFID is an emerging aid in the regular inspection of CNG cylinders, for example
scfm
standard cubic feet per minute, a volumetric measurement of the flow rate of a gas, like methane, often used to express capacity of a compressor or fueling installation
SCR
selective catalytic reduction, effective diesel aftertreatment that requires a catalyst such as urea or ammonia, creating an infrastructure/fueling issue
TARDEC
short for Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (U.S. Army)
Tepco
short for Tokyo Electric Power Company, a leader in electric vehicle deployment
V2G
short for vehicle-to-grid, the concept of using electric vehicles as energy storage devices for the electric grid
WEVA
WEVA, the World Electric Vehicle Association, is the umbrella organization, formed in 1990, of the European Association for Battery, Hybrid and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (AVERE), the Electric Drive Transportation Association (EDTA), and the Electric Vehicle Association of Asia Pacific (EVAAP)
ZEV
zero emission vehicle
Suggested additions welcome. Please e-mail us: [email protected]
Other Glossary Resources
http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/glossary.html
