EV Charging Terminology

Access control determines who can use a charger and under what conditions, using tools such as RFID, apps, Plug & Charge or backend permissions. It is normally considered alongside charge point management systems, OCPP support, firmware updates, reporting and remote diagnostics.

Active Load Management (ALM) is a load control approach that monitors available electrical capacity and actively adjusts EV charging demand in response to changing site conditions. It may use live measurements, control rules or backend commands to reduce, increase or redistribute charger output.

App control allows users or installers to control, configure or monitor charging through a mobile application. It is normally considered alongside charge point management systems, OCPP support, firmware updates, reporting and remote diagnostics.

Autocharge allows a charger or backend platform to recognise a vehicle automatically, usually through vehicle-side communication identifiers, so a charging session can begin without the user presenting an RFID card, opening an app or scanning a code.

Backend refers to the software platform or server-side system that manages charger communication, user access, transactions and reporting. Often used as an accessible term alternative to CPMS. It is normally considered alongside charge point management systems, OCPP support, firmware updates, reporting and remote diagnostics.

Backend support means a charger can connect to a management platform for monitoring, control, data reporting or commercial operation. It is normally considered alongside charge point management systems, OCPP support, firmware updates, reporting and remote diagnostics.

A Charge Point Management System is software used to monitor, control, configure and manage EV charging infrastructure. It is normally considered alongside charge point management systems, OCPP support, firmware updates, reporting and remote diagnostics.

A Charge Point Operator (CPO) is the organisation responsible for operating one or more EV charge points. Under UK public charging regulation, the CPO is the charge point owner or the person operating it on the owner's behalf. Depending on the commercial arrangement, the CPO may manage availability, maintenance, pricing, payments, roaming, data, customer support and backend operation directly or through contracted service providers.

A client is a device or software component that connects to a server to request services, exchange data or maintain a communication session. In EV charging it can describe a networking or software client, but in some controller-based architectures it may also be used as a modern alternative to “slave” for a device coordinated by a controller.

A controller is hardware or software that manages charger operation, load control, communication or site-level coordination. In modern controller-worker terminology it can also replace the older term “master” in master-slave configurations, referring to the coordinating device or system that directs one or more worker/client devices.

Diagnostics are the tools, messages, logs or checks used to identify charger faults, performance issues or communication problems. It is normally considered alongside charge point management systems, OCPP support, firmware updates, reporting and remote diagnostics.

The Electric Vehicles (Smart Charge Points) Regulations 2021 set Great Britain requirements for private smart charge points, including smart functionality, security, default charging behaviour and randomised delay. They apply to relevant charge points sold for domestic and certain private use cases.

EN 18031 is a European cyber security standard series for radio equipment, developed to support Radio Equipment Directive cyber security requirements.

EN IEC 63584 is the European and international standards-track home for OCPP, formalising Open Charge Point Protocol communication between charge points and charging station management systems. In UK terminology it supports OCPP as a recognised interoperability standard for EV charging infrastructure.

EN IEC 63584-201 is part of the OCPP standards series and aligns OCPP 2.0.1 with a formal EV charging communication standard. On EVCP Info, it links related terminology to the relevant regulatory, standards or compliance framework used by UK-focused audiences.

EN IEC 63584-210 is part of the OCPP standards series and aligns OCPP 2.1 with a formal EV charging communication standard. On EVCP Info, it links related terminology to the relevant regulatory, standards or compliance framework used by UK-focused audiences.

ETSI EN 303 645 is a cyber security standard for consumer internet-connected products, covering baseline security practices such as passwords, vulnerability handling and secure updates.

Firmware is the embedded software that controls charger hardware functions, communication and operating behaviour. It is normally considered alongside charge point management systems, OCPP support, firmware updates, reporting and remote diagnostics.

Firmware updates are updates to embedded charger software, delivered locally or remotely depending on the product and backend support. It is normally considered alongside charge point management systems, OCPP support, firmware updates, reporting and remote diagnostics.

Kraken is Octopus Energy's technology platform used for energy retail, flexibility and smart energy services. In EV charging, Kraken integration may indicate compatibility with Octopus-managed tariffs, smart charging or energy optimisation services.

Meter values are recorded readings from a charger or meter, such as energy delivered, power, voltage, current or session readings. It is normally considered alongside charge point management systems, OCPP support, firmware updates, reporting and remote diagnostics.

ModBus RTU is a serial ModBus communication method, commonly used over RS-485. In EV charging, it may be used for meters, load controllers, gateways or site energy management devices.

ModBus TCP/IP is a ModBus communication method that runs over Ethernet/IP networks. In EV charging, it may be used for integration with meters, energy management systems, building controls or load management systems.

Native solar support means the charger can work directly with solar generation or site energy monitoring to adjust EV charging based on available solar output, without relying entirely on a third-party workaround.

OCPP 1.5 is an older version of the Open Charge Point Protocol used for communication between charge points and management systems. It is normally assessed alongside interoperability, supported protocol versions, firmware support and backend compatibility.

OCPP 1.6 is a widely deployed Open Charge Point Protocol version used for charger-to-backend communication and remote management. It is normally assessed alongside interoperability, supported protocol versions, firmware support and backend compatibility.

OCPP 2.0.1 is a newer Open Charge Point Protocol version with expanded support for device management, security, transactions and smart charging. It is normally assessed alongside interoperability, supported protocol versions, firmware support and backend compatibility.

OCPP 2.1 is a recent Open Charge Point Protocol version developed to support advanced charging features, smart charging and improved interoperability. It is normally assessed alongside interoperability, supported protocol versions, firmware support and backend compatibility.

Open Charge Point Interface is a roaming and data exchange protocol used between e-mobility service providers and charge point operators. It is normally assessed alongside interoperability, supported protocol versions, firmware support and backend compatibility.

Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP) is the open protocol used for communication between EV charge points and charging station management systems. It supports authorisation, transactions, remote monitoring, diagnostics, smart charging and interoperability between hardware and backend platforms.