Glossary

Short definitions of the terms you will meet across these docs.

  • AFIR. The EU's Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation, which sets requirements for public charging coverage, ad-hoc payment and price transparency. Part of why interoperability and clear pricing matter.
  • CDR (Charge Detail Record). The final, authoritative record of a completed session: energy, duration and cost. Billing and settlement run on CDRs. Immutable once sent; corrected with a credit CDR.
  • Charging station. The physical unit installed at a site; contains one or more EVSEs. Loosely called a "charge point", a term also used for a single EVSE, so read it in context.
  • Connector. The socket or tethered cable on an EVSE (for example Type 2, CCS, CHAdeMO).
  • CPMS (Charge Point Management System). The software a CPO uses to run its charging stations: status, tariffs, sessions, maintenance. The industry term; OCPP 2.0.1 calls the same system the CSMS.
  • CPO (Charge Point Operator). Owns and operates the charging hardware.
  • CSMS (Charging Station Management System). The OCPP 2.0.1 name for the back office a charging station connects to, the CPMS in this primer. The 1.6 name is Central System.
  • eMSP / MSP (eMobility Service Provider). Faces drivers: issues cards and apps, sets their price, and bills them. Owns customers, not charging stations.
  • EVSE (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment). A single charging point within a station, delivering one charge at a time.
  • Hub (roaming hub). A connector between many CPOs and eMSPs so each integrates once instead of many times (for example Gireve, Hubject).
  • ISO 15118 / Plug & Charge. A standard that lets the vehicle identify and authorise itself to the charging station, so charging starts on plug-in with no card or app.
  • kWh (kilowatt-hour). The unit of energy delivered, and usually the basis of price.
  • Location. In OCPI, a charging site and everything at it (EVSEs, connectors, availability).
  • OCPI (Open Charge Point Interface). The open protocol between operators (CPO and eMSP), used for roaming.
  • OCPP (Open Charge Point Protocol). The open protocol between a charging station and its management system.
  • RFID. The contactless card technology commonly used to authorise a charge.
  • Roaming. Agreements and interfaces that let one provider's drivers charge on another operator's network.
  • Session. A single charging event, from start to stop.
  • Settlement. Reconciling and moving money after sessions: between CPO and eMSP, and from eMSP to driver.
  • Smart charging. Shaping or capping charging power over time to respect grid or site limits.
  • Tariff. The pricing rules for a charge (per kWh, per minute, session fees, time-of-use).
  • Token. The identifier that authorises charging: an RFID card, a virtual card, or an app credential.
  • Transaction. The charging station's record of a charge in OCPP, which becomes a session and then a CDR.
  • V2G / V2X (Vehicle-to-Grid / Vehicle-to-Everything). Bidirectional charging, where energy can flow out of the vehicle as well as in.
  • White label. Running Road's software under another company's brand.