Frequently asked questions

EV stands for Electric Vehicle. An electric vehicle moves utilizing one or more electric motor(s), powered by a rechargeable battery.

kW is short for kilowatt (a unit of electric power) and is used as the unit of power to explain how quick an EV is being charged. It is also used to define the power of the vehicle (instead of HP/ horsepower).

The infrastructure that safely supplies electric energy to recharge the battery of an electric vehicles, also known as EVSE (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment).

Residential charging is one of the most convenient ways for electric Vehicles (EV) to be charged. Cars can be plugged during the time they are parked at home, typically overnight.

Think of the new way of refueling a car. En-route charging requires high-powered rapid chargers that put >100 miles into an electric car in the time it takes to grab a coffee, a snack and use the facilities. This enables you to take long-distance trips in an electric car.

This is referring to AC slow charging or charging with about 3.6 kilowatts at the max, meaning about 23 kilometers or 14 miles per hour charged.

It is the most used type of AC charging and is three to seven times faster than level 1 charging. It allows charging power rates from 10 to 50 kilowatts and 50 to 250 km of range per hour.

All batteries — including those in electric vehicles — are based on Direct Current (DC) principle. But the electric grid delivers Alternating Current (AC). Therefore, AC from the grid needs to be converted to DC so it can be used to charge the battery of the EV.

DC is short for direct current, a charge of electricity that flows in one constant direction (type of power that comes from a battery). By providing DC power directly to the battery and, therefore, bypassing the limitations of the on-board charger and required conversion, charging speed greatly increases. However, charging times are dependent on the battery size, state of charge of the battery (how full the battery is) and the max output of the charger outlet. But many vehicles are capable of getting an 80% charge in about or under an hour.

The concept of using your electric car battery to release power back through the charger either for use in a local building or back into the grid during time of high grid demand. Another word is bi-directional charging. Thus, energy flowing into the battery but also from the battery to the house or grid.

EVSE is short for Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment, a safety protocol that enables two-way communication between the charging station and the electric vehicle. Basically, it controls the safe current flow between the charger and your EV.

The total distance an electric vehicle can travel on one full charge before the battery requires a recharge.

Charging at a higher power than slow AC charging (so everything above 22kW). With the exception of some vehicles like the Renault Zoe, fast charging is relating to DC charging. This will fully charge an average electric car in one to two hours.

State of Charge refers to the amount of energy that is still stored in the vehicle battery compared to the total amount of energy the battery can take up and is measured in % (e.g., 60% SOC). SoC estimations are often called “fuel gauge” function, using the analogy of the fuel tank in a combustion-engine vehicle.

The most basic unit of the lithium-ion battery that stores electricity. A car battery consists of thousands of individual cells.