# Glossary

> The vocabulary of EV charging, in one place.

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.