EV terms, in plain English
Battery size — kWh
Think of kWh as the size of the fuel tank. It tells you how much energy the battery holds — not automatically how far the car will travel.
EV battery capacity is measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh).
A 75 kWh battery can store more energy than a 50 kWh battery, just as a 75-litre fuel tank can hold more fuel than a 50-litre tank.
But a bigger battery doesn’t automatically mean proportionally more range.
Efficiency matters too. A large, heavy SUV may use 20 kWh of electricity to travel 100 km, while a smaller aerodynamic EV might use only 14 kWh over the same distance.
You may also see gross and usable battery capacity. Gross capacity is the battery’s total physical capacity. Usable capacity is the amount the vehicle actually makes available for driving, with some energy reserved to help protect the battery.
Why it matters: bigger isn’t always better. A larger battery can provide more range, but usually adds cost and weight. If you can easily charge at home and rarely travel long distances, paying for the biggest available battery may provide little practical benefit.
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