Here lies the Graveyard of Every Abandoned EV Naming Scheme to Date.

Here lies the Graveyard of Every Abandoned EV Naming Scheme to Date.

      Toyota

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      With reduced sales targets, revised product plans, and cut tax credits, it appears we are drifting further from the envisioned silent, emissions-free electric car utopia that lawmakers and automakers once promised. Despite the flaws in the electrification movement and some vehicles themselves, one of the most amusing aspects has been how poorly car manufacturers have named their products.

      Automakers enthusiastically introduced radical new labels and naming conventions that ultimately confused potential buyers and got discarded. Here are all the ambitious EV naming strategies that have been phased out so far.

      Toyota bZ

      Rather than leveraging the significant recognition of “Prius,” Toyota opted to name its first current-era U.S. EV the bZ4X, where “bZ” stands for “beyond zero” (which could just as easily mean “buzzword”) and serves as the standard prefix for future electric Toyotas. From the outset, this name was problematic, as evidenced by the recent update to the model that has already dropped the “4X” portion of its name. A Toyota executive also confirmed to CarBuzz this week that the company will indeed begin moving away from the “bZ” branding completely in favor of using “existing names in our portfolio for brand and name recognition.”

      The lighting in this press image of the 2026 bZ is oddly dark, almost as if Toyota is admitting, “Yeah, we don’t like the name either.”

      Volkswagen ID

      Much like Toyota's “bZ” label, Volkswagen has attached the “ID” designation to all of its EVs. This includes the ID 4 crossover and the ID Buzz van in the U.S., while overseas, they offer the ID 3 hatchback, ID 5 and 6 crossovers, and ID 7 sedan. However, just last week, a board member announced that the company would abandon this naming convention in favor of “proper names.” Think Polo, Jetta, or Golf, but electric.

      The ID series also earns points for inconsistency with its stylized dots and spaces in VW literature. It’s “ID. Buzz” but “ID.4,” and I swear I’ve seen “ID.Buzz” and “I.D. Buzz” before. That’s super helpful for online publishing and search engine optimization!

      Mercedes-EQ

      When Mercedes first began developing its EV strategy in 2016, it initially intended for “Mercedes-EQ” to function as its own sub-brand, somewhat like how Mercedes-AMG operates (at least in theory). That plan fell through, and recent electric Benz models have even downplayed the “EQ” component of their names. Rather than called “EQG,” the electric G-Class is officially named G580 With EQ Technology—yes, that is its official name—while the newly launched electric CLA is labeled CLA With EQ Technology. However, both Mercedes and the automotive media rarely use these full names, and there’s little physical “EQ” branding on the vehicles themselves. To most people, they’re just the CLA and the electric G-Wagen. Was that so difficult?

      Audi’s Even/Odd Strategy

      In early 2023, Audi announced that moving forward, odd-numbered models (A3, A5, A7) would be gas-powered, while even-numbered models (A4, A6, A8) would be electric. Consequently, the new-generation A4 sedan, one of Audi’s most popular and recognizable models, was rebranded as the A5 since it was not yet an EV.

      Besides the unnecessary renaming of familiar vehicles, the even-odd scheme's seemingly random distinction between electric and gas models made it one of those binary categorizations that are hard to remember in practice. Like trying to recall which side of a Styrofoam takeout container is the top or bottom; or figuring out which way to insert a USB-A charger; or determining which Tokyo airport is closer to the city—HND or NRT? I have to look it up every time. While writing this article, for instance, I had to double-check multiple times to ensure I had the even-odd gas-electric distinction correct.

      In any case, Audi scrapped that naming convention earlier this year, opting instead to append an “E-Tron” suffix to its electric vehicle names.

      Honorable Mention: GM Ultium

      Although it was never the official name of a car or series, General Motors’ battery and electric powertrain label “Ultium” arguably deserves a mention here. It sounded impressive, I’ll admit, but it seemed to be discarded with little rhyme or reason as to why it was ever introduced.

      Supporting GM EVs from the Equinox to the Hummer, Ultium was unveiled in 2020 and mentioned fairly consistently in GM's EV marketing and press releases. However, late last year, the name was retired

Here lies the Graveyard of Every Abandoned EV Naming Scheme to Date. Here lies the Graveyard of Every Abandoned EV Naming Scheme to Date. Here lies the Graveyard of Every Abandoned EV Naming Scheme to Date. Here lies the Graveyard of Every Abandoned EV Naming Scheme to Date. Here lies the Graveyard of Every Abandoned EV Naming Scheme to Date. Here lies the Graveyard of Every Abandoned EV Naming Scheme to Date.

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Here lies the Graveyard of Every Abandoned EV Naming Scheme to Date.

Creating electric vehicles is challenging. Naming them is equally difficult, as evidenced by this compilation of all the naming conventions that automakers have discarded so far.