Smart Charging

Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G)

Bidirectional charging technology that enables electric vehicles to return digitally managed energy from their batteries back to the power grid during peak demand periods.

Dynamic Load Balancing

Real-time distribution of available power capacity across multiple active charging stations to preventing grid overload.

Peak Shaving

Strategy to reduce electricity consumption during intervals of maximum demand to lower demand charges.

OCPP (Open Charge Point Protocol)

Global open application standard for communication between EV charging stations and a central management system (CSMS).

OCPP 2.0.1

Version 2.0.1 of the Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP) that standardizes communication between charging stations and a Charging Station Management System (CSMS).

OCPP Device Model

A standardized way for a charging station to describe its structure and expose configurable/monitorable data to a CSMS without the CSMS needing charger-specific knowledge.

OCPP 2.1

OCPP 2.1 is a newer OCPP release that extends the protocol ecosystem with clearer architecture guidance and energy-management integration patterns for smart charging deployments.

ChargingStationExternalConstraints (OCPP)

An OCPP charging-profile purpose used to represent charging limits imposed by external actors like an Energy Management System (EMS) or a smart meter.

NotifyChargingLimitRequest (OCPP)

An OCPP message used by a charging station (or local controller) to inform the CSMS that the active charging limit changed due to an external source (e.g., EMS, smart meter, DSO signal).

Local Controller (OCPP)

An on-site component that can sit between charging stations and a CSMS to perform local scheduling and load balancing, often used when integrating an EMS at a site.

EMS as Man-in-the-Middle (OCPP)

An energy-management topology where EMS and local-controller functionality are combined and placed between the CSMS and charging stations.

Hybrid Cloud + Local EMS (OCPP)

An EMS architecture where advanced optimization runs in the cloud while a local controller/EMS provides fast protection and offline fallback at the site.

Energy Arbitrage

The practice of purchasing energy when prices are low (off-peak) and using or selling it when prices are high (peak).

OCPI 2.2.1 (Open Charge Point Interface)

Roaming interoperability protocol for exchanging charging network data (locations, tariffs, tokens, sessions, commands, and charge detail records) between CPOs, eMSPs, hubs, and multi-role platforms.

ISO 15118 (Plug & Charge)

Family of standards for high-level communication between an electric vehicle (EV) and a charging station (EVSE), enabling certificate-based "Plug & Charge" and advanced charging control (including bidirectional charging in newer editions).

TCO (Total Cost of Ownership)

A full-cost view of buying and operating a vehicle or fleet over its lifecycle, not just the purchase price.

OPEX (Operational Expenditure)

Ongoing operating costs such as energy, maintenance, labor, and administration.

Charging Strategies

Structured approaches to plan when and how vehicles charge to balance operations, costs, and grid constraints.

Dynamic Load Management (DLM)

Real-time adjustment of charging power based on available site capacity and operational constraints.

Predictive Charging

Charging that uses forecasts (prices, schedules, SoC, weather) to automatically plan optimal charging windows.

Day-Ahead Market

Electricity market where prices are set for delivery on the next day, typically in hourly blocks.

Demand Response

Shifting or reducing electricity consumption in response to grid signals or price incentives.

VDV 463 (Charging Management Interface)

Standardized interface for data exchange between depot/ITCS “pre-systems” and charging management, so charging and preconditioning can be planned and synchronized for e-bus depots.

Preconditioning Info (VDV 463)

Optional VDV 463 structure that quantifies time and energy required for vehicle and HV-battery preconditioning.