Welcome to our A-Z Glossary
For those new to e-mobility to industry veterans, sometimes you need to sense check the new terms popping up in this dynamic market. We will continue to update this list and hope it helps to provide clarity across common terms used in the industry.
Bi-Directional:
In simple terms, bidirectional charging allows us to not only charge the batteries of electric vehicles but to also take energy from such vehicle batteries and push it back to the power grid to help balance momentary spikes in electricity demand. Bidirectional charging is powered by vehicle-to-grid (or V2G) technology.
BEV:
A vehicle that runs purely on electric power, stored in an on-board battery that is charge using electricity.
CHAdeMO:
This connector allows fast charging and is commonly found in most of the EV's, BEV's and it more commonly found in cars produced by Asian brands (Honda, Kia, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru, and Toyota). However other brands (Citroën, Peugeot, Tesla) have adopted their offerings for this this connecter as well.
Charging Point:
The physical locations (home, work or public) where EV's can be plugged in and charged. Charging points can be equipped with one or more connectors and they can charge one EV and they are integrated within charging stations.
Charging Station:
The infrastructure and equipment that supply energy to charging points, allowing EV's to be charged with comfort, reliability and safety. A charging station consists of one more charging points and often has a mix of chargers offering rapid, fast and slow charging.
DC:
An abbreviation carrying two core meanings at Heliox; depot charging for rapid and rapid charging solutions and direct-charge for the 50kW mobile charger. Chargers used for overnight charging (typically 30-50kW) are referred to as “depot chargers”. Depot-only strategies are mainly plug-in, because it is the simplest option requiring the least additional equipment.
Electric Vehicle (EV) :
This is the short-form way of referring to an electric vehicle; It not only covers passenger cars but also encompasses electric buses, vans and trucks as well, thereby becoming an umbrella term for e-mobility vehicles.
E-Bus:
An electric bus is a bus that is powered by electricity.
E-Truck:
An electric truck is a truck that is powered by electricity.
EVSE:
Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment.
Fast Charging:
Contrary to AC chargers that provide power to the on-board charger of the vehicle and convert that AC power to DC in order to enter the battery, DC chargers provide DC power directly to the battery which increases the charging speed.
Gen 1:
First generation of EV's, from 2010 onwards (400V, short range, <50kW).
Gen 2:
Second generation of EV's, from 2015 onwards (400V, longer range, <150kW)
Gen 3:
Third generation of EV's, from 2020 onwards (800V, long range, <350kW)
HDEV:
Heavy Duty Electric Vehicle
kWh:
The unit of energy equivalent to the energy transferred or expended in one hour by one kilowatt of power. In other words, it's the rate at which power is transferred from a charging station to your electric car. Per instance if you charge at 180kW for an hour you EV will receive 180kWh of power.
OC:
Opportunity charging as defined in the world of e-mobility implies recharging through the day (opportunity charging, as when an opportunity/need arises). On e-bus and e-truck routes requiring longer durations, either in distance covered or in time of journey, the latter due to slow moving traffic or congested routes, OC is a rapid and reliable solution allowing e-mobility solutions to ply on the road covering larger ground.
OEM:
Original Equipment Manufacturer
Overnight Charging:
Refers to longer charging sessions that can be achieved using lower power. This is a common practice in the Public Transport sector where most of the vehicles are stationed at the depots at night. Moreover, this has become a smart solution for larger fleets sine it gives fleet owners the flexibility to charge multiple vehicles at the same time.
Pantograph Charging:
A pantograph allows the recharging of vehicles of various heights in just seconds, including standard and double-deckers. All it requires is a single charging current collector and very high power transfer.
A roof mounted pantograph could be of two specifications:
- Contact Hood-type: This is usually mounted on a bus roof which then extends to an OC unit
- Inverted pantograph: Reversed from the standard hood-type, this is not mounted onto a bus roof but rather integrated into the existing infrastructure
Pantographs can be customized to individual customer demands as well as to all existing recharging infrastructure.
PHEV:
A vehicle that combines the traditional combustion engine and a rechargeable battery, allowing the driving to either: (1) drive purely electric or (2) to use a combination of the petrol engine and electric motor for extended autonomy.
PIV:
Plug-in vehicle (PIV), is a broader term used for any car that has a plug in connection, it can be referring to both PHEV's and BEV's.
PTO:
Public Transport Operator.
Smart Charging:
A charging system where EV’s, charging stations and charging operators are connected intelligently to the grid creating multiple share data connections. This data point are used to monitor and manage the charging sessions (according to the grid availability) thus optimizing energy consumption and costs.
TCO:
Total Cost of Ownership.
V1G:
Also called Smart Charging - is in our products’ DNA. It enables the charging power to be dynamically controlled from the grid to the EV, managing when charging takes place and the amount of power supplied. This means high, peak-demand hours can avoided, dramatically reducing electricity costs.
V2B:
Vehicle to Building
V2G:
V2G - Vehicle-to-Grid - takes V1G further providing bi-directional energy flow between the EV and charging station. It has all the advantages of Smart Charging but also uses EV batteries as a virtual power plant, enabling EVs to store and discharge electricity. This allows renewable energy sources with output that can fluctuate, such as wind and solar power, to be fully utilized.
V2L:
Providing power to an AC load (grid forming).
V2H:
Providing power to your home (tied, or forming with ATS).
V2V:
Charging a vehicle from another vehicle (either AC or DC)
VPP:
Virtual Power Plant
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