Our complete glossary for those who want to learn more about technical language, concepts and terms in the electrical industry
1-phase charging (Single phase)
The 1-phase connection has 230 volts and is available in most power outlets in your home. All electric cars and hybrids can charge through 1-phase connections.
3-phase charging
3-phase electric power most often connects buildings to the electricity grid. Electric devices at home which require more electricity often use 3-phase electricity outlets and some electric cars can also be charged using 3-phase charging, making it faster to charge your vehicle.
AC
Alternating Current, a charge of electricity that is common your home and means that the electricity regularly changes direction
App/applications
Leading producers of charging stations offer smart apps that make life easier for EV owners. Charge Amps App makes it easy to set your charger just as you want it and for instance schedule your charging in the household.
Amp
Short for ampere, which is a unit that is used to measure electric current, like how fast a current flow of electricity goes. Often used to indicate capacity in an EV charger.
BEV
Stands for Battery Electric Vehicle, a pure electric car.
BMS
Battery Management System – refers to the EVs battery monitoring system that controls things like battery charge level and battery temperature.
CCS
A fast charging connector found on most type 2 EVs and standardised in the EU.
CHAdeMO
A fast charging connector that has less power than CCS and is usually found on Asian EV brands.
Cloud services
Leading producers of charging stations often offer cloud services connected to the equipment
Charging cable
Connects the charging station or the power outlet with your electric car
Charging Station/Wall box
A device that charges your EV at home or in a public space
DC
Stands for Direct Current, is the type of power that typically comes from a battery and means that electricity flows constantly in one direction.
Electric Car/Electric Vehicle/EV/BEV
The term for a car that is powered by an electric engine rather than a combustion engine.
EVSE
Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment – ensures the vehicle is charged in a safe way with the right type of current and power.
Fossil fuel
A group of energy sources such as gasoline, diesel, or natural gas.
HEV/Hybrid Electric Vehicle
A vehicle that integrates a battery and electric motor that is maintained by an internal combustion engine. This vehicle is not charged by any plug-in device.
ICE/Internal combustion engine
Engines that are powered by fuels such as gasoline or diesel.
kW
Kilowatt, a measurement unit of power
kWh
Means Kilowatt hours and is a measurement unit regarding the capacity of a battery and how much an EV consumes.
Lithium-ion battery
A battery technology that is the current standard in electric cars, giving good energy density, power, and the ability to charge fast.
Load balancing (incl. Dynamic phase allocation)
Load balancing optimises your charging based on the accessible power and the connected EVs in a smart way. Dynamic phase allocation also enables you to allocate different phases (such as 1- and 3-phase) to the charging station.
MHEV
Stands for mild hybrid EV and consists of a vehicle with a small electric motor that assists the engine but does not fully push the car on its own.
NEDC
Stands for New European Driving Cycle, which measures the energy consumption, distance, and emissions of a vehicle.
PHEV/Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle
A car with both an internal combustion engine and electric engine and a battery, with the battery being charged by plugging it into a charging station.
Range
The distance an EV can travel when fully charged.
Range Anxiety
The fear of running out of power in an EV before reaching a charging station.
Regenerative braking
A methodology used by EVs to store and use the energy generated from braking the vehicle.
Residual-current circuit breaker
An important safety measures that prevents accidents by disconnecting the circuit whenever a fault occurs in the connected circuit.
RFID, Radio Frequency Identification
A technology inserted into a card or a tag that can be used to identify users at a charging station.
Schuko
A wall socket equipped with protective-earth contacts, used in most homes. The term comes from the German word ”schutzkontakt”.
Software
EVs and charging stations consist of both hardware and software, the software regulates how the car, and the charging station can function.
Supercharger
A super-fast charging system developed by Tesla and only available to Tesla EVs.
Type 1 plug
A five pin plug that is common in the US and also often found on Asian and US electric cars. The type of plug determines which cable you can use to charge your EV. Most manufacturers however now move to offer type 2 plugs.
Type 2 plug
A plug for EVs originated in Europe but nowadays common in all parts of the world, as well as being the standard type for Europe. The type of plug determines which cable you can use to charge your EV.
Vehicle to Grid (V2G)
An upcoming technology enabling electric vehicles to charge and discharge back to the power grid to even out demand in the electricity market.
WLTP/ Worldwide harmonized Light vehicles Test Procedure
Has replaced NEDC as the official standard to measure range on electric cars.