EV Charging Terminology

6 mA DC leakage detection identifies residual direct current at a level that may affect the operation of upstream RCDs. It is normally assessed during product selection, circuit design, installation verification and maintenance of EV charging equipment.

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.

Built-in overcurrent protection means the charger includes internal protection against excessive current under specified conditions. It is normally assessed during product selection, circuit design, installation verification and maintenance of EV charging equipment.

Configurable current allows the maximum charging current to be set or limited during installation or configuration. It is normally assessed against site capacity, maximum demand, charger grouping and the behaviour expected when electrical demand changes.

EV charging equipment intended primarily for homes, driveways, garages or private residential parking. It is normally used to match charger features to the intended environment, utilisation pattern and user group.

An earth electrode is a conductive part placed in the ground to provide an electrical connection to earth. It is normally assessed during product selection, circuit design, installation verification and maintenance of EV charging equipment.

EV charging infrastructure designed for multiple business vehicles, vans, taxis, buses or operational fleets. It is normally used to match charger features to the intended environment, utilisation pattern and user group.

Individual supply per outlet means each charging outlet has its own dedicated electrical supply or separately protected feed. It is normally assessed alongside phase availability, circuit capacity, protective devices, cable sizing and DNO/site constraints.

The physical environment where a charger is installed, such as indoor, outdoor, wall, pedestal, car park, depot or public space. It is normally checked against mounting method, exposure, durability, access requirements and the conditions at the installation location.

An installation manual provides instructions for mounting, wiring, commissioning, configuration and safe installation of a charger. It is normally checked against mounting method, exposure, durability, access requirements and the conditions at the installation location.

Internal PE breakage refers to a charger design where the charger has a means of interrupting or isolating the protective earth path internally as part of its response to a detected PEN fault condition.

IT earthing is an arrangement where the supply has no direct connection to earth or is connected through a high impedance. It is normally assessed during product selection, circuit design, installation verification and maintenance of EV charging equipment.

Load balancing distributes available electrical capacity between chargers, circuits or site loads to avoid exceeding supply limits. It is normally assessed against site capacity, maximum demand, charger grouping and the behaviour expected when electrical demand changes.

Mode 3 charging uses dedicated AC EV supply equipment with control signalling between the charger and the vehicle. It is normally assessed alongside charging mode, AC/DC architecture, power rating, connector type and how the charger shares or delivers power.

A modular RCD is a residual current device installed as a separate modular protective device, typically in a consumer unit or distribution board. It is normally assessed during product selection, circuit design, installation verification and maintenance of EV charging equipment.

An Open combined Protective and Neutral conductor Detection Device (OPDD) is a device or integrated EV charging function designed to detect conditions associated with an open PEN conductor fault and disconnect, or initiate disconnection of, the affected circuit or equipment. IET 01:2024 sets definitions, requirements and tests for OPDD behaviour.

Open PEN detection identifies conditions that may indicate a broken or disconnected combined protective and neutral conductor. It is normally assessed during product selection, circuit design, installation verification and maintenance of EV charging equipment.

Overcurrent protection protects conductors and equipment against excessive current caused by overloads or short circuits. It is normally assessed during product selection, circuit design, installation verification and maintenance of EV charging equipment.

Overcurrent protection rating is the current value assigned to a protective device, normally stated in amps. It is normally assessed during product selection, circuit design, installation verification and maintenance of EV charging equipment.

PEN-fault protection is protection against hazards caused by a broken or open combined protective and neutral conductor in PME/TN-C-S supplies. It is normally assessed during product selection, circuit design, installation verification and maintenance of EV charging equipment.

PME earthing is an earthing arrangement where the supply uses Protective Multiple Earthing with a combined neutral and protective function upstream. It is normally assessed during product selection, circuit design, installation verification and maintenance of EV charging equipment.

PME protection refers to protective measures used to address risks associated with Protective Multiple Earthing supplies, especially open PEN faults. It is normally assessed during product selection, circuit design, installation verification and maintenance of EV charging equipment.

Power daisy chaining uses a supply arrangement where power is routed from one charger or connection point to another in a chained layout. It is normally assessed alongside phase availability, circuit capacity, protective devices, cable sizing and DNO/site constraints.

Power supply refers to the electrical supply arrangement feeding a charger or group of chargers. It is normally assessed alongside phase availability, circuit capacity, protective devices, cable sizing and DNO/site constraints.

Rated current is the maximum current a charger or electrical component is designed to carry under specified conditions. It is normally assessed during product selection, circuit design, installation verification and maintenance of EV charging equipment.

RCD Type A is a residual current device type designed to detect AC residual current and pulsating DC residual current. It is normally assessed during product selection, circuit design, installation verification and maintenance of EV charging equipment.

RCD Type B is a residual current device type capable of detecting AC, pulsating DC and smooth DC residual currents. It is normally assessed during product selection, circuit design, installation verification and maintenance of EV charging equipment.

RCD Type F is a residual current device type intended for certain single-phase circuits with frequency components, such as some equipment using variable-speed drives. It is normally assessed during product selection, circuit design, installation verification and maintenance of EV charging equipment.

A Residual Current Breaker with Overcurrent combines residual current protection and overcurrent protection in one device. It is normally assessed during product selection, circuit design, installation verification and maintenance of EV charging equipment.

A Residual Current Device (RCD) is a protective device that disconnects a circuit when it detects an imbalance between live conductors that may indicate earth leakage current. In EV charging, RCD selection must consider AC residual current, possible DC residual current and the protection already built into the charger.

Residual current protection detects imbalance between live conductors and disconnects the supply when leakage current may indicate an electric shock risk. It is normally assessed during product selection, circuit design, installation verification and maintenance of EV charging equipment.

A Residual Direct Current Detecting Device detects residual DC current in Mode 3 EV charging equipment. It is normally assessed during product selection, circuit design, installation verification and maintenance of EV charging equipment.