- EVSEElectric Vehicle Supply Equipment
- EVSE (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment) is the hardware that safely supplies electricity from a non-EV power source to an electric vehicle. A unit typically pairs a charging connector that attaches to the vehicle with a wall-mounted box housing the connection ports, and offers multiple power levels that control how quickly the vehicle charges. Full explainer →
- CPMSCharge Point Management Software
- CPMS (Charge Point Management Software) is the software that runs an EV charging station — handling registration, billing and energy reporting, and providing real-time data tracking, dashboards, charge-point location and availability, secure sign-in, user profiles and graphical reports.
- CPOCharge Point Operator
- A Charge Point Operator (CPO) is the party that runs and maintains an EV charging network — keeping its management software and hardware efficient, available and well maintained.
- Dynamic load balancing
- Dynamic load balancing is the real-time distribution of available power across EV charge points, adjusting each charger's rate on the fly to keep total demand within the site's capacity. By prioritising which vehicles charge first, it levelises the charging rate, reduces peak loads on the grid, and lowers electricity costs while stabilising demand.
- Static load balancing
- Static load balancing is a fixed, pre-set limit on the power each charge point or station may draw, held below the site circuitry's limit so no single charger overloads the supply. It helps Charge Point Operators maintain a reliable supply and prevents current fluctuations or black-outs.
- Peak load
- Peak load is the period of highest electricity demand on the grid — the times customers use the most energy. Because utilities must supply enough power to meet it without overtaxing the grid, tariffs often rise sharply during these periods, making peak load a major driver of energy bills.
- V2GVehicle-to-Grid
- V2G (Vehicle-to-Grid) is bidirectional charging in which an EV battery can both draw from and discharge energy back to the grid, via signals from the CPMS. It lets parked vehicles act as flexible storage — helping balance the grid, sell surplus energy back, and reduce pressure during peak hours. Full explainer →
- ISO 15118
- ISO 15118 is an open international standard for communication between electric vehicles and charging stations, enabling secure data exchange, Plug & Charge (automatic authentication) and bidirectional V2G. See open protocols →
- DERDistributed Energy Resources
- Distributed Energy Resources (DER) are small-scale generation and demand assets interconnected to the grid — such as solar PV, small wind turbines, EV batteries, microturbines, fuel cells and waste-heat recovery. They provide flexible, low-cost local capacity, reduce peak demand, and support resilience when paired with distributed storage. See capability →