GLOSSARY
EV charging glossary
The key terms in EV charging and running a charging network, explained briefly and in plain words.
AC (alternating current) · Ad hoc charging · AFIR · BEV · CCS2 · CDR · CHAdeMO · CPO · CSMS · DC (direct current) · DLM · DOOH · EIPA · eMSP · Hubject · kW and kWh · MCS · NIS2 · OCPI · OCPP · PHEV · Plug & Charge · RFID card · Roaming · SoC · Type 2 · UDT · V2G · Wallbox · White label
AC (alternating current)
Charging with alternating current. The car’s on-board charger converts it and usually limits power to 7–11 kW, sometimes 22 kW. More ›
Ad hoc charging
Charging without a contract or account, paid by card or online, for example after scanning the QR code on the charger. More ›
AFIR
The EU Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation, applicable since 13 April 2024. It sets rules on ad hoc payment, price transparency and charger density along main roads. More ›
BEV
Battery Electric Vehicle, a car powered only by its battery.
CCS2
Combined Charging System Type 2, the European standard for DC fast charging, used by most new EVs in Europe. More ›
CDR
Charge Detail Record, the record of a finished session with time, energy and price. Roaming partners settle with each other based on CDRs. More ›
CHAdeMO
A Japanese DC fast charging standard used by older Nissan Leaf models, among others. In Europe it is being replaced by CCS2. More ›
CPO
Charge Point Operator, the company that runs charging stations, sets prices and handles sessions. More ›
CSMS
Charging Station Management System, the system chargers connect to over OCPP for monitoring, control, tariffs and billing. More ›
DC (direct current)
Fast charging with direct current. The charger feeds the battery directly, at tens to hundreds of kW. More ›
DLM
Dynamic Load Management. It shares the available grid capacity between chargers so the connection limit is not exceeded. More ›
DOOH
Digital Out-of-Home, advertising on screens in public spaces, including screens on chargers. More ›
EIPA
Poland’s register of alternative fuels infrastructure, run by UDT, which holds data on public charging stations. More ›
eMSP
e-Mobility Service Provider. It issues cards and an app to drivers and lets them charge across many networks. More ›
Hubject
One of the largest roaming hubs, connecting many operators and service providers through one integration. More ›
kW and kWh
kW is power, the speed of charging. kWh is the amount of energy you usually pay for. A 50 kW charger delivers up to 50 kWh in an hour.
MCS
Megawatt Charging System, a charging standard for heavy-duty vehicles at megawatt power levels. More ›
NIS2
The EU cybersecurity directive. It covers some energy and transport infrastructure operators and requires them to report serious incidents. More ›
OCPI
Open Charge Point Interface, an open roaming protocol used to exchange locations, tariffs, sessions and tokens. More ›
OCPP
Open Charge Point Protocol, the language chargers use to talk to the operator’s system. The most common versions are 1.6 and 2.0.1. More ›
PHEV
Plug-in hybrid, a car with a combustion engine and a battery that can be charged from a socket.
Plug & Charge
A feature based on ISO 15118: the car authenticates itself when plugged in and starts charging, without a card or app.
RFID card
A contactless card used to start charging, common in fleets because it ties each session to a driver. More ›
Roaming
Charging on another operator’s network with your own provider’s card or app. More ›
SoC
State of Charge, the battery level in percent. Fast charging usually slows down above about 80%.
Type 2
The European AC charging connector (Mennekes), standard on wallboxes and AC stations up to 22 kW. More ›
UDT
Poland’s Office of Technical Inspection, which inspects public charging stations before they go live. More ›
V2G
Vehicle-to-Grid, bidirectional charging that lets a car feed energy from its battery back to the grid.
Wallbox
A wall-mounted charger, usually AC up to 22 kW, for homes and businesses. There are also 20–40 kW DC wallboxes. More ›
White label
A model where ready-made software, such as a charging app, runs under the customer’s brand rather than the vendor’s. More ›