“电动汽车”常见的英文表达是 “electric vehicle” (简称 EV) ,也可具体说成 “electric car” (侧重指轿车类型的电动汽车)。
electric vehicle 是一个较为宽泛的术语,涵盖了所有以电力为动力的交通工具,包括电动汽车、电动公交车、电动卡车等。例如:The government is promoting the use of electric vehicles to reduce pollution.(政府正在推广电动汽车的使用以减少污染。)
electric car 则更明确地指代电动乘用车。例如:I'm thinking about buying an electric car because it's more environmentally friendly.(我正在考虑买一辆电动汽车,因为它更环保。)