Glossary

Your guide to EV terminology

The complete guide to EV Charge Point terminology. Learn your CCS from your OCPP and more in this handy guide from Manta Power.

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EV

Electric Vehicle - Any vehicle that uses electric motors, either in full or in part, as propulsion.

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AC

Alternating Current – An electric current that reverses direction at regular intervals.

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BEV

Battery Electric Vehicle- A 100% battery-powered Electric Vehicle.

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CCS

Combined Charging System is a direct current (DC) charging connector and is essentially the enhanced version of the Type 2 charger. 

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CHARGE POINT

The location where electric vehicles can be plugged in and charged, whether at home, work or in a public accessible location.

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CHARGING STATION

An electric vehicle charging station, often known as an EVSE (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment, is a piece of infrastructure that safely delivers electric energy for charging electric vehicles.

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CONNECTOR

A device that attaches to an electric vehicle's cable from an EVSE (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment) allowing it to charge.

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DC

Direct Current  – An electric current of constant direction.

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DC FAST CHARGING

The fastest (high powered) way to charge electric vehicles quickly with an electrical output ranging from 50kW – 120kw. This will fully charge an average electric car in 30 to 40 minutes.

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HEV

Hybrid Electric Vehicle - A vehicle with a small battery and an electric motor to improve the engine's efficiency. Hybrids are more fuel efficient than standard internal combustion engines, but they can only go limited distances on electric power alone.

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ICE

Internal Combustion Engine –The gas-powered engine found in the majority of vehicles, SUVs, and trucks. It creates power by compressing a piston with an air-fuel combination ignited within a cylinder.

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KWH

Kilowatt-hour - A unit of energy equivalent to the energy transferred or expended in one hour by one kilowatt of power. Electric car battery size is measured in kilowatt-hours.

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LEVEL 1 CHARGING (SLOW)

A type of charging that uses AC. The low power flow leads to long recharge times. 

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LEVEL 2 CHARGING (FAST)

A faster type of charging for EV vehicles. Level 2 supplies 240V, like what an electric dryer or oven uses. 

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OCPP

Open Charge Point Protocol is an open-source communication standard for EV charging stations and network software companies. (link)

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RANGE

The distance you can travel on pure electric power before the battery requires a recharge.

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TYPE 1 PLUG

The type 1 plug is a single-phase plug that allows for charging power levels of up to 7.4 kW (230 V, 32 A).

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TYPE 2 PLUG

Triple-phase plug. In private spaces, charging power levels of up to 22 kW are common, while charging power levels of up to 43 kW (400 V, 63 A, AC) can be used at public charging stations.

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ZEV

Zero Emission Vehicle – A vehicle that emits no tailpipe pollutants from the onboard source of power.

OZEZ (Office for Zero Emission Vehicles)

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EV Chargepoint Grant

This provides funding of up to 75% towards the cost of installing electric vehicle smart chargepoints at domestic properties across the UK and has replaced the EVHS Grant - (Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme)

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WCS Grant

The Workplace Charging Scheme is a voucher-based scheme that provides eligible applicants with support towards the upfront costs of the purchase and installation of electric vehicle (EV) chargepoints.

The grant covers up to 75% of the total costs of the purchase and installation of EV chargepoints (inclusive of VAT), capped at a maximum of:

• £350 per socket
• 40 sockets across all sites per applicant – for instance, if you would like to install them in 40 sites, you will have 1 socket available per site

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