Charging areas, chargers, charge points… Time to untangle these terms once and for all!

Charging areas, chargers, charging bays — not to mention charge points. We are here to help you to untangle this lexical puzzle and become unbeatable with the fundamental vocabulary of electric charging.

Let’s start at the very beginning: Getting back to basics with a charging station

Charging area

You’re running out of juice, and it’s time to charge your battery! Before you charge your EV (electric vehicle), you’ll need to find a charging area. 
To visualize what a charging area looks like, imagine it as a site for chaging electric vehicles. Indeed, this space is specially designed and equipped for multiple electric vehicles and allow them to charge simultaneously. You’ll find them at public car parks, motorway service areas, and car parks at hotels, shops and urban service stations.

Charging bay 

Once you get to a charging area, you’ll find several charging bays. This is a space specifically designed for charging electric vehicle. Generally, there are flagged with specific signage, making them easy to locate.

Charger  

Charging area identified? Check. Car parked at a charging bay? Check! Now it’s time to find yourself a charger so you can start your charging session. The charger refers to the equipment that provides your electric vehicle with the necessary power,  ensuring it never runs out of juice! Depending on its power and configuration, a charger can charge one or two vehicles at once. 
There are two different types of charger: 

• Alternating current chargers (AC), which deliver power ranging from 3.7 kVA to 43 kVA; 
• Direct current chargers (DC), which deliver power ranging from  50 kW to 400 kW;

Interested in finding out more about different chargers? Check out our article here.
In parallel, it’s important to note that each power corresponds to different uses or needs: it’s crucial you know the maximum power accepted by your vehicle's battery before plugging it into a charger. 
Discover here the different factors that can impact on your charging session.  

Charge point 

Now you’re comfortable with the concept of chargers, last but not least is charge point. Often confused with charger, a charge point is a component of the charger that delivers the electricity needed to charge a single electric vehicle battery at a time. It’s designated by the English acronym EVSE (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment), and is associated to a charging bay, as we saw earlier. In practical terms, charge point is materialized by a socket or a cable attached to the charger with a connector at the end that plugs into the vehicle (this is the case for DC chargers). 

In summary, this is the heart of the system, the device that supplies your electric vehicle with electricity.