EV glossary

Charging terms, without the jargon.

Short, accurate explanations of the words you will hear when you buy, install and charge an EV in India.

A

AC Charging

Charging where the grid's alternating current is converted to DC by the car's onboard charger, typically 3.3-11 kW for Indian cars.

Battery Thermal Management System (BTMS)

The system that heats or cools an EV battery to keep it in a safe temperature range for charging, performance and long life.

Bharat AC-001

An early Indian AC charging standard with three 230 V outputs of about 3.3 kW each, used mainly for two- and three-wheelers and early EVs.

Bharat DC-001

An early Indian low-voltage DC charging standard of up to about 15 kW, using a GB/T-style connector, designed for early low-voltage EVs.

CCS2 (Combined Charging System 2)

The DC fast-charging connector used by almost all current electric cars in India, combining Type 2 AC pins with two large DC pins.

CHAdeMO

A Japanese DC fast-charging standard that featured on some early Indian fast chargers but is now rare on Indian roads.

Charge Point Operator (CPO)

A company that installs, owns or operates EV charging stations and manages their pricing, maintenance and access.

DC Fast Charging

High-power charging where the station converts AC to DC and feeds the battery directly, bypassing the car's onboard charger.

Fleet Charging Hub

A depot or dedicated site with multiple chargers serving commercial vehicles such as cabs, delivery vans, buses or trucks.

GB/T

China's national EV charging standard, with separate AC and DC connectors; in India it appears on some buses and in Bharat DC-001.

Home Charger (Wallbox)

A wall-mounted AC charger installed at a home parking spot, typically 7.2-7.4 kW single-phase or 11 kW three-phase.

kW vs kWh

kW (kilowatt) measures power, or how fast energy flows; kWh (kilowatt-hour) measures energy, such as battery size or units billed.

LECCS (Light Electric Combined Charging System)

India's combined AC/DC charging connector standard for light EVs such as scooters and three-wheelers, published by BIS as IS 17017 (Part 2/Sec 7).

Load Management

Smart control of charging power so multiple chargers or a home stay within the available electrical capacity.

OCPP (Open Charge Point Protocol)

An open communication protocol that lets EV chargers from different manufacturers talk to central management software.

QR Code Charging

Starting a charging session by scanning a QR code on the charger with a mobile app, then paying digitally.

Range Anxiety

The worry that an EV will run out of charge before reaching its destination or a charger.

Regenerative Braking

A system that uses the electric motor as a generator when slowing down, recovering energy back into the battery.

RFID Charging

Starting a charging session by tapping a contactless RFID card or tag on the charger, linked to your account.

State of Charge (SoC)

How full the battery is, expressed as a percentage - the EV equivalent of a fuel gauge.

Time-of-Day (ToD) Tariff

An electricity pricing structure where the rate per unit varies by time of day, often lower during solar hours.

Type 2 Connector

The standard AC charging connector (IEC 62196-2) on most electric cars in India, supporting single-phase and three-phase charging.

V2G (Vehicle-to-Grid)

Technology that lets an EV send stored energy back to the grid, not just draw from it.

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