Every term in EV charging, defined properly

Charging where alternating current is supplied to the vehicle and converted to DC by the vehicle’s onboard charger. Power is limited by the onboard charger, commonly 3.3kW to 11kW.

Whether a connector is in a state that can begin a session. A charger can be connected to the platform and still unavailable — faulted, suspended or taken out of service.

Indian charging specifications for low-power AC (3.3kW) and DC (15kW) charging, developed for the early Indian EV market and its vehicle mix.

Combined Charging System, Type 2

The dominant DC fast-charging connector standard for cars in India and Europe. It extends the Type 2 AC connector with two additional DC pins.

Charge Detail Record

The billable record of a completed charging session, exchanged between platforms in roaming. It carries the energy, duration, tariff and cost.

A DC fast-charging standard developed in Japan. Its installed base in India is small and shrinking.

The physical unit installed at a site, identified to the platform by a unique OCPP identity. It contains one or more EVSEs, each with one or more connectors.

An OCPP construct that instructs a charger to limit its output according to a schedule, expressed in amps or watts. A TxDefaultProfile applies to all sessions; a TxProfile applies to one.

The reduction in charging power as a battery approaches full, controlled by the vehicle to protect cell life. It is why average session power is well below the charger’s rating.

The physical plug a driver inserts into the vehicle. A single EVSE may expose several connector types — for example a CCS2 gun and a CHAdeMO gun — of which only one can typically be used at a time.

Charge Point Operator

The business that operates charging hardware — installing, maintaining and selling charging sessions from it, usually on land owned by someone else.

Charging Station Management System

The platform that manages charging infrastructure: connecting chargers over OCPP, handling sessions, pricing, payments, drivers, partners and reporting.

Charging where conversion happens inside the charge point and direct current is supplied to the vehicle battery, bypassing the onboard charger and allowing much higher power.

A recurring charge based on sanctioned or peak recorded demand rather than on energy consumed, typically expressed per kVA per month.

Reducing or shifting electricity consumption in response to a signal from the grid operator, usually in exchange for a payment or a tariff benefit.

The proportion of connected charging load realistically drawn simultaneously. A site with four 60kW chargers and a 70% diversity factor is planned for 168kW rather than 240kW.

e-Mobility Service Provider

The business that owns the driver relationship — the app, the account, the payment method — and sells access to charging networks it does not necessarily own.

Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment

The formal term for a charge point — the equipment that supplies electricity to a vehicle safely. One physical charger may contain several EVSEs, each capable of an independent session.

The embedded software running on a charge point. Its version determines which OCPP features the unit actually supports, regardless of what the datasheet claims.

The identifier a driver presents to authorise a session — commonly an RFID card, but also an app-generated token. In OCPP it is an opaque string the platform resolves to a driver.

A charge applied when a vehicle remains connected after charging has completed, usually after a grace period, to encourage the bay to be vacated.

The standard for communication between a vehicle and a charge point, including certificate-based identification that enables plug-and-charge and, in later parts, bidirectional power transfer.

Kilovolt-ampere

The unit of apparent power, used by distribution utilities to express sanctioned load and to levy demand charges.

Kilowatt-hour

The unit of energy delivered — one kilowatt sustained for one hour. The basis for most charging tariffs and the figure a session must report to be billable.

Light Electric Vehicle AC

Charging provision for light electric vehicles — two- and three-wheelers — typically at low AC power with sockets suited to onboard chargers.

Controlling the aggregate power drawn by a group of chargers so that it stays within a site limit, by allocating available capacity across active sessions.

A list of accepted ID tags cached on the charger itself, letting it authorise sessions when the platform is unreachable.

Open Charge Point Interface

The protocol between two charging platforms, used for roaming. It carries locations, tariffs, tokens, live sessions, CDRs and remote commands between a CPO and an eMSP.

Open Charge Point Protocol

The open protocol between a charge point and a charging management system. It carries session events, meter readings, status and faults from the charger, and commands, configuration and firmware updates back to it.

The JSON-over-WebSocket variant of OCPP 1.6, and the version running on the majority of chargers deployed today. The "J" distinguishes it from the older SOAP transport.

The current major version of OCPP, introducing a structured device model, an explicit transaction event model, defined security profiles and support for ISO 15118 certificate handling.

The AC-to-DC converter inside the vehicle. Its rating caps AC charging speed regardless of what the charge point can supply.

Open Automated Demand Response

A standard for utilities to send demand-response signals to flexible loads, including charging networks, so that consumption can be reduced or shifted automatically during grid stress.

Over the air

Updating charger firmware remotely over the network, typically scheduled by model cohort with a retry policy.

Automatic authentication and billing when a vehicle is plugged in, using certificates exchanged between the vehicle and the charger under ISO 15118 — no card, app or QR needed.

Retrieving logs, reading fault codes and clearing faults on a charger over the network rather than on site.

A commercial arrangement in which the site host receives a defined share of charging revenue rather than a fixed rent.

Contactless cards or fobs used to authorise charging, typically 13.56MHz MIFARE-compatible. Standard in depots and fleets where a payment flow per session is undesirable.

An arrangement letting a driver registered with one provider charge on another network, with the platforms settling between themselves.

The maximum electrical capacity the distribution utility has approved for a connection, usually expressed in kVA and billed for whether or not it is used.

The process of calculating and paying each party’s share of charging revenue for a period — site hosts, roaming partners and the platform.

The owner of the land or property where chargers are installed, typically compensated through revenue share or rent.

Service Level Agreement

A contractual commitment on service quality, typically covering availability, response time to faults and reporting obligations.

Controlling when and at what power vehicles charge, in order to respect an electrical limit, reduce cost, or respond to a grid signal.

State of Charge

The battery’s current charge level as a percentage of capacity, reported by some vehicles during a session.

The pricing applied to a charging session — commonly a rate per kWh, a rate per minute, a fixed session fee, an idle fee, or a combination.

ToD

An electricity tariff whose rate varies by time of day, typically with a peak surcharge and an off-peak rebate.

A field visit by a technician to a charging site. The dominant marginal cost of running a network.

IEC 62196-2

The standard AC charging connector for cars, supporting single- and three-phase charging up to around 22kW.

The share of a period during which a charger or connector was able to serve a driver. Distinct from connectivity, which measures only whether the unit was reachable.

The proportion of available time a connector is actually delivering energy. The dominant variable in charging economics.

Vehicle to Grid

Bidirectional charging in which a vehicle battery can export energy back to the grid or to a building, allowing fleets to act as distributed storage.

Software delivered under the operator’s own brand, so drivers and partners see the operator’s identity rather than the platform vendor’s.