Unraveling the Curious Case of Electric Vehicle (EV) Naming Conventions: Why Are They So Peculiar?

Key Takeaways

• Electric car names are generally bad and lack the appeal and emotion of traditional vehicle names like Dodge Charger or Ford Mustang.
• Some automakers are breaking from traditional naming conventions to signal that their electric vehicles are new and different.
• Naming a car is a difficult process that involves considering factors like trademark availability, target audience, and cultural meanings, but it’s important for establishing the right brand identity.

For decades car companies have done an arguably decent job of naming vehicles. Auto brands appeal to feelings or emotions, suggesting you’ll go fast in a Dodge Charger, gallop in a Ford Mustang, get rugged with the Chevy Colorado, or take your family anywhere in a Lincoln Navigator. So why are all the latest electric car names so bad?

EVs are exciting, new, innovative, and full of modern smarts. But what I can’t seem to grasp is why the names are the opposite. We’re getting silly names like the Cadillac Escalade IQ , Mitsubishi i-MiEV, the Subaru Solterra, Toyota bZ4X , VW ID.4, or the Hyundai Ioniq 5 . Seriously, what does “bZ4X” even mean, and hopefully I spelled that right.

For the record, “bZ4X” stands for “beyond zero” emissions, and the “4X” outlines the vehicles’ classification. The “4” is the size and puts it in a similar category as the RAV4, while the “X” signals the car is a crossover.

Breaking From the Norm

Toyota

Automakers put a lot of effort into car names or branding and spend billions on endless advertisements because many of those names stick around for decades. The Toyota Corolla came out in 1966, Ford’s Mustang nameplate became a thing in 1964, and the first Corvette began production in 1953. I don’t know about you, but I doubt we’ll be talking about the Ioniq 5 or whatever alphabet soup letters Mercedes-Benz comes up with next in another 50 years.

With a new wave of electric vehicles, we’re seeing some manufacturers break from customary traditions, potentially to help signal that these are all-new vehicles. For example, the ridiculously named Toyota bZ4X looks nothing like a Corolla, Camry, or anything else in Toyota’s lineup. The company typically uses fairly regular names, including Tacoma, Tundra, Highlander, and Prius. But for whatever reason, its first all-electric vehicle has a unique name unlike anything else from the Japanese automaker.

Volkswagen takes a similar approach, ditching relatively conventional like its popular Jetta, Passat, Golf, Beetle, or even the Tiguan. Now, we’re getting electric cars being called the Volkswagen ID.3 , ID.4, ID.5, or the ID. Buzz microbus . And while the ascending number nameplates are better than much of the competition, choosing “ID.” for each name is pretty odd, even if it does mean “intelligent design.”

Maybe all the odd numbers and letters these days can be attributed to Tesla, who chose to go with names like the Model S, Model X, Model Y, and the affordable Model 3. Who knows, maybe Elon Musk wanted to take a similar approach to Ford’s first automobile, the Model A, B, and so on for its EVs, or perhaps Musk really did just want to release car names that spell out “S.3.X.Y”. Either way, the odd names haven’t slowed down.

Some Brands Are Leveraging Existing Names

Jonathan Weiss/Shutterstock.com

Not all manufacturers want to break the mold and be brave or waste popular nameplates that have topped the charts for countless years. A great example is the Ford F-150 Lightning electric truck or Chevy’s upcoming Equinox EV .

The F-150 is America’s best-selling truck and has been for over 40 years straight. So, it makes sense to use that name for an electric truck, not to mention these trucks are nearly identical on the outside. It wouldn’t make sense for Ford to call it something wild like the Li-Ion 4x4. I think the Mustang Mach-E could have purely gone by “Mach-E,” but to each their own.

Chevrolet decided to stay incredibly consistent with naming, something everyone can appreciate. In the coming months and years, we’re getting the Silverado EV , Blazer EV, Equinox EV, and the exciting Corvette E-Ray , not to mention the oversized Hummer EV. Instead of mashing up a collection of numbers, letters, and dots, Chevy is sticking to names we all know and trust.

Naming a Car is Harder Than You Think

GM

If you’ve ever seen the name of the latest car, headphones, or camera and wondered who got paid to come up with that, it’s because naming a vehicle or product isn’t as easy as you’d imagine. This is especially true on an expensive electric car that’ll cost billions to manufacture, advertise, and support.

A vehicle name must be classy, easy to remember, potentially evoke some emotions, and, more importantly, be readily available and not trademarked. Ford encountered problems when it tried to launch the Mustang in Germany when another company already owned the name. Ford calls its Mustang pony the “T5” in Germany for those unaware.

Manufacturers must also consider the target audience, region, and if the name means something else in another language. All while being original enough to stand out yet still appeal to the right buyer. It’s like trying to choose a username or email handle, only with far more at stake. It’s not as easy as it sounds. The name of a vehicle can instill a sense of speed, class, luxury, and more as long as it’s done right.

This is Only The Beginning for EVs

Hyundai

Every automaker wants you to know they are making an exciting new EV unlike anything else on the road. It’s fun, fresh, different, or not your typical electric car. Brands are trying to stand out from the flood of other models with a similar range or charging speed, and that’s likely why we’re getting so many crazy names.

Electric vehicles are disrupting an enormous market, changing the status quo, and continue to arrive with tons of power and bold new designs. It only makes sense to mix things up with bold branding or try new things and see what sticks. But please, tone it down on the awful names.