A-Z Van Life Dictionary
A
- Aire - French term for overnight stop, used in UK (from French Aires)
- AGS - Auto Glide System (awning)
- Amp Hour (Ah) - Battery capacity unit. 100Ah = 1 amp for 100 hours
- ARB - Australian Recovery Bar (bull bar)
B
- Battery-to-Battery Charger - Charges leisure battery from alternator while driving
- Bluetti/EcoFlow - Portable power station brands
- BMS - Battery Management System
- Bog Standard - Basic, no-frills van
- Brennholtz - German word for wood stove (common in vans)
C
- Campingaz - Popular camping stove brand in UK
- Caravan Guard - UK specialist insurance provider
- Cassette Toilet - Portable toilet with removable waste tank
- CC - Cubic Centimetres (engine size)
- CHP - Combined Heat and Power
- Conversion - Modified van for living
- Cruck - Curved timber frame in conversions
D
- DC-DC - Direct Current to Direct Current (alternator charger)
- Depth of Discharge (DoD) - How much battery capacity you can safely use
- Dometic - Major RV appliance brand
- Dinette - Seating area that converts to bed
- Double Din - Standard car stereo size (for dash upgrades)
E
- Eberspächer - German diesel heater brand
- ECU - Engine Control Unit
- EEV - Enhanced Environmentally-friendly Vehicle
- Electrical Hookup (EHU) - Campsite 230V power supply
- ESS - Energy Storage System
F
- Fiamma - Italian awning and accessories brand
- Float Voltage - Voltage to maintain full charge
- Frosting - Condensation on windows
- FWL - Fresh Water Level
G
- Galley - Kitchen area in van
- Genny - Generator (or woman's name)
- Grey Water - Waste water from sink/shower
- GSL - Ground Space Layout
- GVW - Gross Vehicle Weight
H
- Habitation Area - Living space in van
- Heat Exchanger - Transfers heat between systems
- HPI Check - UK vehicle history check
- HR - High Roof
- HS2 - High Speed 2 (not relevant to van life)
I
- Inverter - Converts 12V DC to 230V AC
- IPC - Inherent Protection Class
- Isolation Transformer - Electrical protection device
J
- Jerry Can - Portable fuel/water container
- Jumper Cables - For starting from another vehicle
K
- Kettle - Electric kettle (popular in UK vans)
- King/Queen Size - Bed size terms used in UK vans
L
- LCV - Light Commercial Vehicle
- LED - Light Emitting Diode
- Leisure Battery - Deep cycle battery for living systems
- LPG/LPGas - Liquid Petroleum Gas (propane/butane)
- LWB - Long Wheel Base
- Lymph - Lymphedema (not relevant to vans)
M
- M3 - Cubic metres (interior space)
- MPPT - Maximum Power Point Tracking (solar controller)
- MWA - Maximum Weight Allowed
- MWL - Maximum Working Load
N
- NAT - Outdoorzza air suspension
- NCV - New Vehicle Value
- NHS - National Health Service (not relevant)
O
- Off-Grid - No campsite connections
- O/L - Over Load
P
- PAL - Personnel Air Lift (awning brand)
- Payload - Weight capacity of van
- PEM - Proton Exchange Membrane (fuel cell)
- PMP - Planned Maintenance Programme
- PP - Polypropylene (plastic)
- PWM - Pulse Width Modulation (solar controller)
R
- Rib - Reinforced Inflatable Boat
- Rocker Switch - On/off electrical switch
- Roof Rack - Storage rack on roof
- R Pic - Rest and Revive Picnic Areas (UK initiative)
S
- SOC - State of Charge
- Soft Top - Pop-top roof with canvas
- Solar Gain - Heat from sunlight through windows
- Starlink - Satellite internet (increasingly popular)
- Sugar Scoop - Curved rear section design
T
- Tare Weight - Unladen vehicle weight
- Thermal Mass - Materials that store heat (stone, water)
- Thetford - Major RV toilet/appliance brand
- Twin Lens - Fridge that can be fridge and freezer
U
- ULEZ - Ultra Low Emission Zone (London/cities)
- USB - Universal Serial Bus (charging)
V
- V Plate - First letter of UK number plate (region)
- Vapour Barrier - Moisture prevention layer
- Victron - Premium battery/inverter brand
- Vlog - Video blog
W
- Watt Hour (Wh) - Energy measurement (battery capacity)
- Webasto - German heating brand
- Winterised - Prepared for cold weather
X
- Xenon - Gas discharge headlight type
- XPS - Extruded Polystyrene (insulation)