Here are many of the acronyms and abbreviations you’ll see on our site and commonly used at Tesla and on various forums (Jan-2023 update)
AC | Air Conditioning (HVAC is the preferred acronym) |
AC | Alternating Current |
ACC | Adaptive Cruise Control |
Ah | Amperage for an hour at a specific voltage |
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. |
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 |
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 really an acronym) |
FSD | Full-Self Driving |
FUD | Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt – often evoked intentionally in order to confuse. |
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 |
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 expected to be 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 |
LHD | Left-Hand Drive |
LIN | Local Interconnect Network |
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) |
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 |
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 in reference to 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 |
2 comments
I didn’t see PTC: Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) heater
Now added.