EV Charging Terminology

Randomised delay is a smart charging function that delays charging by a random period to reduce simultaneous demand spikes. It is normally considered alongside charge point management systems, OCPP support, firmware updates, reporting and remote diagnostics.

Remote monitoring allows charger status, faults, sessions and performance data to be viewed without attending site. It is normally considered alongside charge point management systems, OCPP support, firmware updates, reporting and remote diagnostics.

Scheduled charging allows charging to start, stop or prioritise at specific times set by the user, vehicle, charger or backend. It is normally considered alongside charge point management systems, OCPP support, firmware updates, reporting and remote diagnostics.

A server is a system that provides services, data or applications to clients, including charger management platforms and backend systems. It is normally considered alongside site connectivity, router/modem configuration, signal availability and ongoing remote support.

Smart charging adjusts charging behaviour based on time, grid conditions, tariffs, user settings or available capacity. It is normally considered alongside charge point management systems, OCPP support, firmware updates, reporting and remote diagnostics.

Third-party platform support means the charger can connect to charge point management systems or backends other than the manufacturer's own platform, typically through an open or supported protocol such as OCPP.

User authentication verifies who is allowed to start, stop or access a charging session. It is normally considered alongside charge point management systems, OCPP support, firmware updates, reporting and remote diagnostics.

A worker is a device, service or software process that performs tasks under the direction of a controller, server or backend system. In modern controller-worker terminology it is commonly used as the alternative to “slave” in master-slave configurations, while in backend software it can also mean a background process that handles tasks such as messages, reports or diagnostics.