List of Abbreviations

Alternating Current

An electric current which periodically changes its direction and magnitude.

Advanced Encryption Standard

A symmetric encryption method, which is the successor of the DES.

American National Standards Institute

ANSI is an American organisation which coordinates the development of voluntary consensus standards in the USA. ANSI is a private non-profit organisation.

AUTOSAR Extensible Markup Language

An AUTOSAR xml file is an xml file standardized by AUTOSAR.

Automotive Software Process Improvement and Capability Determination

Standard in the automotive industry, which is based on the current version of the ISO/IEC 330xx series.

AUTomotive Open System ARchitecture

Standard which establishes an open and standardized software architecture for automotive electronic control units.

Battery Electric Vehicle

BEV is a type of EV which uses the chemical energy stored in (rechargable) battery packs as its sole source of propulsion. Hence, instead of internal combustion engines, electric motors and motor controllers are used.

Controller Area Network

High speed bus system.

Compressed Natural Gas

CNG is a type of fuel gas. It is made out of natural gas (mainly composed of methane) and heavily compressed to less than 1% of its standard atmospheric pressure volume. Consequently, storage and distribution happen in hard containers.

Coefficient of Thermal Expansion

The CTE indicates how much a material can expand upon heating.

Direct Current

Electric current which flows in only one direction.

Direct Copper Bonded

A type of substrate which is often used in power modules due its good thermal conductivity. It is made out of a ceramic tile (commonly alumina) and copper sheets.

Data Encryption Standard

A symmetric encryption method.

Direct Torque Control

Method used in variable-frequency drives to control the torque (and thus finally the speed) of three-phase AC electric motors.

Electronic Control Unit

Electronic module, which is responsible for the control and adjustment of the operation of a car or machine.

Electrical Machine

A device which converts electrical energy into mechanical energy and vice versa. Hence, we differ between motor mode and generator mode depending on the direction of conversion.

Electromagnetic Compatibility

EMC is the ability of electrical equipment and systems to function properly in their electromagnetic environment without impairing each other’s functions. Otherwise we would speak of electromagnetic interference (EMI).

Electromotive Force

When a non-electrical source is converting other forms of energy into electrical energy, EMF is produced. Eventhough the word "force" is used, EMF doesn't actually describe a physical force, but the voltage produced by a non-electrical system. For example a generator is producing EMF by convertig mechnical energy.

Electric Vehicle

Generic term used for vehicles which run on electric power.

Fundamental Stator Frequency

Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle

An FCEV is an EV which uses a fuel cell as its source of propulsion, sometimes with an additional small battery. The electricity for these vehicles comes from oxygen (from the air) and compressed hydrogen.

Field Oriented Control

Vector control for the control of electric motors.

Gallium Nitride

Abbreviation is also used to directly refer to semiconductor devices made from this material.

Gate Turn-Off Thyristor

International Business Machines Corporation

IBM is an American multinational technology company with a focus on computer hardware and software as well as consulting.

Integrated Gate-Commutated Thyristor

Insulated-Gate Bipolar Transistor

Induction Machine

Also called "Asynchronous Machine".

Inductance in d-Axis

Here the rotor is aligned with the poles.

Inductance in q-Axis

Here the rotor is aligned with the gaps.

Moment of Torque

This is often simply refered to as "moment" or "torque".

New Energy Vehicle

An umbrella term for vehicles with one of the following drive technologies: BEV, PHEV or FCEV. It does not include HEV without a plug-in. This term is mainly used in China.

National Institute of Standards and Technology

NIST is a US agency of the United States Depeartment of Commerce. It is focused on standardisation processes.

National Security Agency

NSA is the national-level intelligence agency of the USA.

(Rotational) Speed of the Stator Field

Noise, Vibration, and Harshness

As the name implies, it describes the study and modification of the noise and vibration of vehicles, as well as the subjectively measured harshness.

Original Equipment Manufacturer

A manufacturer who doesn't market their own products. However, in the automotive industry, we also refer to car manufacturers in general as OEMs.

Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing

Modulation method in high-level communication for electrical charging.

Over-the-Air

Vehicle updates via the Internet.

Printed Circuit Board

Power Electronics

Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle

A PHEV has an on-board internal combustion engine-powered generator, but can also run on electric power with a battery, which is recharged via the plug.

Powerline Communication

Information is transmitted via a power cable.

Permanent Magnet

Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machine

Sometimes also refered to as PMSM.

Pulse Width Modulation

Modulation type in which a technical quantity alternates between two values.

Thermal Resistance

Runtime Environment

The Runtime Environment is the realization of the Virtual Fuctional Bus.

Silicon Controlled Rectifier

Silicon Carbide

Abbreviation is also used to directly refer to semiconductor devices made from this material.

Substitution-Permutation Network

SPN describes a certain type of block cipher (which uses substitutions and permutations). It can be found with AES.

Space Vector PWM

Software Component

AUTOSAR™ defines software components as architectural elements that provide and/or require interfaces and are connected to each other through the Virtual Function Bus to fulfill architectural responsibilities.

Reluctance Torque

Torque part out of saliency.

Synchronous Torque

Torque part out of magnetic flux and current.

Total Torque

Phase Voltage

Usually, we are talking about the three-phase voltages v_a, v_b and v_c.

Virtual Functional Bus

The Virtual Functinal Bus ist the main communication concept of the AUTOSAR Classic Platform.

Variable-Frequency Drive

Frequency converter.

Exclusive-Or

Logic operation for two elements.