A
- AC charging
- Charging with alternating current, converted to DC by the car's on-board charger. Typically 3.7–22 kW.
- Autocharge
- Starts a session automatically by recognising the vehicle's MAC address.
C
- CDR
- Charge Detail Record: the final, billable record of a charging session.
- CPO
- Charge Point Operator: owns or operates charging infrastructure.
- CSMS
- Charging Station Management System, the back-end that chargers connect to.
D
- DC fast charging
- Charging with direct current straight into the battery. Typically 50–400 kW.
- DLM
- Dynamic Load Management: shares the available power between chargers in real time.
E
- eMSP
- e-Mobility Service Provider: gives drivers access to charging, often across many CPOs.
- EVSE
- Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment: a charging point with one or more connectors.
I
- Idle fee
- A per-minute fee once charging has finished but the car stays plugged in.
- ISO 15118
- The standard for vehicle-to-charger communication that enables Plug & Charge.
K
- kWh
- Kilowatt-hour, the unit of energy delivered.
O
- OCPI
- Open Charge Point Interface: the protocol for roaming between CPOs and eMSPs.
- OCPP
- Open Charge Point Protocol: the protocol between a charger and the CSMS.
- OpenADR
- Open Automated Demand Response: the standard for grid-flexibility signals.
R
- Roaming
- Letting drivers of one provider charge on another operator's network.
T
- Time-of-use tariff
- A price that varies by hour of the day or by the energy spot price.
V
- V2G
- Vehicle-to-Grid: the car feeds energy back to the grid.