Here are many of the acronyms and aM3Pbreviations you’ll see on our site and commonly used at Tesla and on various forums (Apr-2024 update)
| AC | Air Conditioning (HVAC is the preferred acronym) |
| AC | Alternating Current |
| ACC | Adaptive Cruise Control |
| Ah | Amp Hour – The amount of energy charge in a battery that enables 1 ampere of current to flow for one hour |
| Amps | Amperage/Current |
| Ant | Antenna |
| AP | AutoPilot – A group of safety and driver assistance features |
| AP1 | Autopilot 1 (software and hardware prior to AP2) |
| AP2 | Autopilot 2 (software and hardware after AP1) |
| AP3 | Autopilot 3 (software and hardware after AP2 which includes FSD option) |
| APP | AutoPilot (Tesla Internal) |
| AWD | All-Wheel Drive |
| BCM | Body Control Module |
| BEV | Battery Electric Vehicle |
| BMB | Battery Management Board |
| BMS | Battery Management System |
| CAFE | Corporate Average Fuel Economy |
| CAN | Controller Area Network (a data bus within a vehicle) |
| CARB | California Air Resources Board |
| CC | Cruise Control |
| CCC | Courage, Clarity, and Confidence (opposite of FUD) |
| CCS | Combined Charging System – An alternative clunky charging connection system forced on users in Europe and Korea, but only useable by about 20% of the EV market in the USA. Being replaced with NACS. |
| CD | Coefficient of Drag, and occasionally the Center Display (MCU) |
| CH | Cup Holder |
| CHAdeMO | CHArge de MOve, the tradename of an older DC charger standard |
| CID | Center Information Display |
| CMP | Compressor |
| CO2 | Carbon Dioxide Gas |
| CP | Charge Port |
| CPU | Central Processing Unit |
| CT | Cybertruck |
| CTM | Come To Me (Smart Summon feature) |
| D | Dual Motor (AWD) |
| DA | Driver Assistance |
| DAS | Driver Assistance System (i.e. Autopilot) |
| DC | Direct Current |
| DES | Delivery Experience Specialist – A Tesla employee who reviews the car’s operation with a new owner |
| DI | Drive Inverter |
| DM | Dog Mode, where the climate control stays on when the car is locked |
| DRL | Daytime Running Lights |
| DS | Delivery Specialist |
| DU | Drive Unit |
| EAP | Enhanced Autopilot; Rarer, EAP = Early Access Program |
| ECU | Electronic Control Unit |
| EM | Elon Musk |
| eMMC | embedded Multi Media Card (Flash memory) |
| EPA | Environmental Protection Agency |
| EPAS | Electrically Powered Assisted Steering |
| EPB | Electric Parking Brake |
| EPBL | Electric Parking Brake Left |
| EPBR | Electric Parking Brake Right |
| ERS | Executive Rear Seat – A short-lived option that offered two rear executive seats in the 2015 Model S with a large center armrest. |
| ESA | Extended Service Agreement – Similar to an extended warranty, it provides parts/labor coverage beyond the first 4 years/50K miles |
| ESP | Electronic Stability Program (sometimes called ASC – Active Stability Control) |
| EU | European Union |
| EV | Electric Vehicle |
| EVSE | Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment – A unit between the AC supply and an EV for charging |
| FC | Fast Charge (i.e DC charging via Supercharger) |
| FD | Falcon Doors (Model X) |
| FOB | Electronic Key (not an acronym) |
| FSD | Full-Self Driving |
| FUD | Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt – are often evoked intentionally to confuse. |
| FUSC | Free Unlimited Supercharging – a feature offered on some older Tesla vehicles – mostly the early Model S and X. |
| FWD | Front-Wheel Drive; often also used for Falcon Wing Doors on Model X |
| GF | GigaFactory – A huge factory for manufacturing batteries or vehicle production |
| GPS | Global Positioning System |
| GPU | Graphics Processing Unit |
| GTW | Gateway |
| hp | Horse Power |
| HPC | High Power Charger (for Roadster) |
| HPWC | High Power Wall Connector, now just called Wall Connector |
| HQ | Headquarters (as in Tesla’s HQ) |
| HSPA+ | Evolved High-Speed Packet Access (for wireless broadband) |
| HV | High Voltage Interlock Loop – Part of the HV safety system. |
| HVIL | High Voltage |
| HVP | High Voltage Protect |
| HW1 | Hardware 1 (referring to Autopilot S/X hardware prior to HW2) |
| HW2 | Hardware 2 (referring to Autopilot S/X hardware after Oct-2016) |
| HW2.5 | Hardware 2.5 (referring to Autopilot S/X/3 hardware after ~Jul-2017) |
| HW3.0 | Hardware 3.0 (referring to Autopilot S/X/3/Y hardware released in April 2019 on new cars with a retrofit available on older AP2 cars) |
| HW4.0 | Hardware 4.0 (referring to Autopilot S/X/3/Y/Cybertruck hardware released in Q4-2023 on new vehicles |
| HVAC | Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning |
| HVB | High Voltage Battery |
| IBST | iBoost electromechanical brake booster system by Bosch |
| IC | Instrument Cluster (display module and electronics) |
| ICE | Internal Combustion Engine |
| ICEd | When an ICE vehicle is parked in an EV charging stall |
| IEC | International Electrotechnical Commission (for European plugs) |
| IIHS | Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (for safety ratings) |
| IMHO | In My Humble Opinion (often used in forums) |
| IMU | Inertial Measurement Unit – used to help maintain location info when GPS is lost (i.e. tunnels, etc.) |
| J/K | Just Kidding (humor) |
| J1772 | AC power charging connection standard by SAE |
| JIT | Just-In-Time delivery, an inventory control system |
| kW | Kilowatt (1000 watts, a unit of electric power) |
| kWh | A kilowatt of electric power in an hour |
| LCD | Liquid Crystal Display |
| LDU | Ludicrous Drive Unit (on Performance cars) |
| LDW | Lane Departure Warning |
| LED | Light Emitting Diode |
| LFP | Lithium-Ferrophosphate – a battery type, commonly called Lithium-Iron-Phosphate |
| LHD | Left-Hand Drive |
| LIN | Local Interconnect Network |
| LMFP | Lithium Maganese Ferrophosphate – a battery type wtih higher energy density than LFP |
| LR | Long Range (Applies to Model S/X/3/Y) |
| LTE | Long-Term Evolution (referred to as 4G data) |
| M3 | Model 3 (but also commonly used for BMW’s M3 model) |
| M3P | A LFP battery type made by CATL that likely includes Manganese, Magnesium, Aluminum, and Zinc for improved performance |
| MC | Mobile Connector, previously called Universal Mobile Connector (UMC) |
| MCU | Media Control Unit (17″ center screen unit (Model S/X prior to 2021) or on newer cars the display and CPU module combination) |
| MCU1 | Media Control Unit, Version 1 (S/X until March 2018) |
| MCU2 | Media Control Unit, Version 2 (all 3/Y, and S/X starting in March 2018), with a retrofit option on older S/X cars. No longer used in S/X/3/Y, switched to MCUZ |
| MCUZ | Media Control Unit with the AMD Ryzen processor. |
| mi | miles |
| Model ☰ | Model 3 (used unofficially by some owners, no longer used) |
| MR | Medium Range (Model 3, now discontinued) |
| MS | Model S |
| MSDS | Material Safety Data Sheet (often required for shipping used vehicles overseas) |
| MX | Model X |
| MY | Model Y – The SUV version first based on the Model 3 |
| NACS | North American Charging Standard – Created by Tesla as a far better alternative to the dismal CCS system used by other automakers. |
| NADA | National Automobile Dealers Association |
| NEC | National Electrical Code – A common US standard for building wiring and electrical work |
| NEDRA | National Electric Drag Racing Association |
| NEMA | National Electrical Manufacturers Association (for plugs) |
| NEMA 14-50 | NEMA 50 amp AC power connection (for charging at 240 VAC, 40 amps) |
| NHTSA | National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (for safety ratings) |
| NN | Neural Net (relating to part of the AutoPilot software) |
| OA | Owner Advisor, Tesla employee |
| OCS | Occupant Classification System – used to detect the weight of persons in front seats for airbag deployment |
| ODIN | Diagnostics IN service |
| OEM | Original Equipment Manufacturer |
| OMC | Owner’s Manual Companion |
| OTA | Over-The-Air – usually about software updates via wireless links |
| P | Performance, as a prefix to the model name |
| P3 | Performance Model 3 with 75 kWh battery |
| P3D | Performance Model 3 Dual Motor with 75 kWh battery |
| P3D+ | Performance Model 3 Plus Dual Motor with 75 kWh battery. Currently, the P3D has the plus features, and the “+” is no longer used. |
| P3D- | Performance Model 3 Dual Motor with 75 kWh battery, without Plus features (not an official designation) |
| P85 | Performance Model S with 85 kWh battery, now discontinued |
| P85+ | Performance Plus Model S with 85 kWh battery, now discontinued |
| P85D | Performance Model S with 85 kWh battery and AWD/Dual motors, now discontinued |
| P90D | Performance Model S/X with 90 kWh battery and AWD/Dual motors, now discontinued |
| P100D | Performance Model S/X with 100 kWh battery and AWD/Dual motors, now called “Performance Long Range” in 2019, now discontinued |
| Plaid | Highest Performance Model S/X (2021+) |
| PCS | Power Conversion System (i.e. in-car charger) |
| PHEV | Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (ICE/EV combo) |
| PM | Pedal Monitor (supervision of the pedal operation) |
| PPU | Pay Per Use, for charging either at Superchargers or other public chargers |
| PS | Product Specialist – Tesla employee at galleries and stores |
| PT | Pickup Truck |
| PTC | Positive Temperature Coefficient |
| RADC | Radar Center |
| RC | Remote Control |
| RCM | Restraint Control Module – to control the airbags |
| RLSH | Rain/Light/Solar/Humidity sensor (pre-HW2 vehicles) |
| RHD | Right-Hand Drive (for Australia, England, Japan, etc.) |
| RKE | Remote Keyless Entry |
| RPM | Revolutions Per Minute |
| RR | Rated Range (instead of Ideal mode) |
| RTFM | Read the Fu.king Manual – For those who refuse to read the manual where items are clearly stated in the manual. |
| RWD | Rear Wheel Drive |
| S40 | Model S with 60 kWh battery, software limited to 40 kWh, discontinued in mid-2013 |
| S60 | Model S with 60 kWh battery, discontinued, but revived in June 2016, and discontinued again in March 2017 |
| S60D | Model S with 60 kWh battery and AWD/Dual motors, discontinued in March 2017 |
| S70 | Model S with 70 kWh battery, discontinued in June 2016 |
| S70D | Model S with 70 kWh battery and AWD/Dual motors, discontinued in June 2016 |
| S75 | Model S with 75 kWh battery, discontinued in September 2017 |
| S75D | Model S with 75 kWh battery and AWD/Dual motors, now discontinued |
| S85 | Model S with 85 kWh battery, now discontinued |
| S85D | Model S with 85 kWh battery and AWD/Dual motors, now discontinued |
| S90D | Model S with 90 kWh battery and AWD/Dual motors, now discontinued |
| S100D | Model S with 100 kWh battery and AWD/Dual motors, renamed as “Long Range Model S/X” in 2019, now discontinued |
| SA | Service Advisor – Tesla employee contact for service |
| SAE | Society of Automotive Engineers |
| SAE Combo | Combo AC/DC charging standard by SAE |
| SC | SuperCharger (usually) |
| SC | Service Center (sometimes, use TSC as a better acronym) |
| SCCM | Steering wheel Column Control Module |
| SDS | Safety Data Sheet (often required for shipping used vehicles overseas) |
| Semi | Semi Truck announced in November 2017 and began shipping in Dec-2022 |
| SOC | State of Charge – typically shown as a percent of available energy |
| Soon | Issued by Tesla in the early days to state a timing from months to years |
| SR | Standard Range – Model 3 with the smallest battery, RWD, now discontinued |
| SR+ | Standard Range Plus – Model 3/Y, RWD. As of 2022, Tesla calls this model RWD. |
| SRB | Standard Range Battery – Model 3 |
| SvC | Service Center (to avoid confusion with SuperChargers) |
| SWP | Subzero Weather Package |
| TACC | Traffic-Aware Cruise Control |
| TAS | Tesla Air Suspension |
| TEA Score | Troll Evaluation Alarm – indicates the likelihood of a troll providing fake news or fake information (i.e. 100% = All BS/Fake news; 50% = uncertain if true or not, 0% = not a troll). |
| TPMS | Tire Pressure Monitoring System |
| TM | Tesla Motors (not often used, as TM is confused with Trademark and Toyota’s stock symbol. Tesla Motors, Inc. name has been officially changed to Tesla Inc.) |
| TMC | Tesla Motors Club |
| TMI | Tesla Motors Inc. (old name, now Tesla, Inc.) |
| TSC | Tesla Service Center |
| TSLA | Tesla’s Stock Symbol |
| TT | TeslaTap |
| UDS | Universal Diagnostics System (Tesla Internal) |
| UHFS | Ultra-High Fidelity Sound (now called Premium Sound) |
| UI | User Interface |
| UMC | Universal Mobile Charger, now called Mobile Connector (MC) |
| USB | Universal Serial Bus (Connector for flash drives) |
| V | Volts, an electrical potential |
| VCFRONT | Vehicle Controller Front, for the front lights, HVAC, sensors, etc. |
| VCLEFT | The Vehicle Controller Left, for the steering column, left seat, left windows, left mirror, locks, etc. |
| VCRIGHT | Vehicle Controller Right, for the right seat, right windows, right mirror, etc. |
| VCSEC | Vehicle Controller Secondary on Model 3/Y, security, alarm, charge port, trunk, frunk, etc. |
| VIN | Vehicle Identification Number (see our VIN decoder) |
| W | Watts, a unit of power |
| WC | Wall Connector – previously known as HPWC |
| Wh | Watt-hour is a measure of electrical energy equivalent to the power consumption of one watt for one hour. |
| WiFi | Wireless local area network |
| WOT | Wide Open Throttle – Pressing the accelerator pedal to the floor |
| WTF | What The Fu.k- an expression of disbelief |
| X | Model X |
| X60D | Model X with 60 kWh battery and AWD/Dual motors, now discontinued |
| X75D | Model X with 75 kWh battery and AWD/Dual motors, now discontinued |
| X90D | Model X with 90 kWh battery and AWD/Dual motors, now discontinued |
| X100D | Model X with 100 kWh battery and AWD/Dual motors, now discontinued |
| XP90D | Performance Model X with 90 kWh battery and AWD/Dual motors, now discontinued |
| XP100D | Performance Model X with 100 kWh battery and AWD/Dual motors, now called “Performance Long Range” in 2019; now discontinued |
| Y | Model Y SUV |
| YFFC | Yacht Floor Front Console, now discontinued |
| YMMV | Your Mileage May Vary |
| ZEV | Zero Emission Vehicle |
4 comments
Ah above is related to current, not voltage
Why do you guys list a P3, P3D+ and P3D-, I don’t think those are a thing
SoC typically doesn’t have a capital ‘o’ that you show above
TMI is Too Much Information, no one uses it to refer to Tesla
I would suggest that the Model 3 needs an abbreviation too. Most people use MS for the S, MX for the X, but M3 is a BMW, like TT is an Audi, and MY is already a word, TM3 and TMY would be better.
And Supercharger vs Service Center should be SpC and SvC to eliminate confusion, your suggestion above of using TSC doesn’t reduce confusion as both Superchargers and Service Centers can both be Tesla facilities.
Also lots of people refer to the old Free Unlimited Supercharging as FUSC. I have seen a lotta people use CT for CyberTruck, at least outside of Connecticut.
Don’t shoot the messenger 🙂 I agree Ah can be clearer and have fixed. Thanks! Most of the others are ones owners/users have used in forums and other places and are not always ones we would choose to use, but can leave a reader confused. As a Tesla site and relating to Tesla, M3 is often used (in context). Agree the BMW M3 is also M3, but few are talking about BMW in our site or in Tesla forums so M3 is a reasonable shortcut that quite people use. We cannot control what others use, but we can document acronyms that are used, even if they are not ideal, and they can even conflict with other uses. You can often find the same acronym used for many different things – but we’re focus on those that relate to Tesla. For example, may people have used TT as an abbreviation for TeslaTap. Clearly it has plenty of other meanings, but on our site, it’s not expected to be talking about an Audi. Anyway, attempting to force others to change what they want to use is not our goal, but rather try and add clarity to what is in use.
We added FUSC and CT. Good catches!
I didn’t see PTC: Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) heater
Now added.