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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. 

Published on 18/07/2024
1 min reading time

Charging sockets vs. connectors: what’s the difference? 

Be careful not to confuse connectors and sockets!
There’s a difference between the sockets (on the charger) and the connectors (on the vehicle).

 

Socket

The socket is the electronic component fitted to the charger and your vehicle.


 

Connector

The connector is the plug part on either side of a cable, or at the very end of the linked up cable. 

In summary: the charge point is located on chargers, which itself addresses one or more several charging bays. These charging bays are distributed over a charging area. Easy, right?

Anatomy of a charging area in pictures

two illustration of charging station, charging area, chargind location

What you need to remember

The lexicon of electric mobility is rich and can sometimes be complex. In short, charging area is the place where electric vehicles are centralized to be charged.
Charging bay refers to the place reserved for you when you charge your vehicle. Charger, meanwhile, is the equipment that delivers the electricity needed for your car during charging session. However, you do need to be aware of your vehicle’s characteristics in order to choose the right charger. 
Last but not least, charge point is essentially like the pump that delivers electricity to your vehicle through the socket connected to it and which connects to your vehicle.

And there you have it! Everything you need to know to charge your electric vehicle in right place, using the right charger.