Home Undocumented Acronyms and Abbreviations

Acronyms and Abbreviations

Here are many of the acronyms and abbreviations you’ll see on our site and commonly used at Tesla and on various forums (Jan-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
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
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

israndy 28-Dec-2023 - 2:33 pm

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.

Moderator 28-Dec-2023 - 3:38 pm

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!

israndy 3-Jan-2021 - 7:57 pm

I didn’t see PTC: Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) heater

Moderator 4-Jan-2021 - 8:42 am

Now added.

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