EV Charging Guide · Glossary
EV charging words, in plain language
The words you will hear from Providers, engineers and the power company, explained simply. Listed from A to Z.
- Alternating current (AC) charging
- Slower charging. The car's own charger turns the power into what the battery needs. Suits places people stay a while: offices, hotels, resorts, condominiums.
- Battery electric vehicle (BEV)
- A vehicle that runs on its battery only. It must be plugged in to charge.
- Battery swapping
- Taking out an empty battery and putting in a charged one, in a few minutes. Common for e-motorcycles and e-trikes in the Philippines.
- Capital expenditure
- The upfront cost of buying and installing equipment. Often shortened to CAPEX.
- CCS2
- The plug most new electric cars in the Philippines use for direct current (DC) fast charging.
- CHAdeMO
- An older fast charging plug, mainly on older Nissan Leaf cars. Less common on new chargers.
- Charge point operator
- The company that runs chargers day to day: pricing, payments, the app and repairs. Also one of the five deployment models.
- Charger
- The equipment that delivers power to the vehicle. Also called a charging point. A charging station is a place with one or more chargers.
- Deployment model
- The arrangement that decides who pays for the chargers, who runs them, who carries the risk and how the property is paid.
- Demand charge
- A part of some commercial power bills based on the highest power drawn at one time, not just the total used. Fast chargers can raise it.
- Department of Energy (DOE) accreditation
- Registration with the DOE that allows a company to supply, install or operate EV charging. Check the public list at evindustry.ph.
- Direct current (DC) fast charging
- Faster charging that feeds power straight to the battery. Suits places people pass through: highway stops, fuel stations, quick service food. Costs much more and needs much more power.
- Dwell time
- How long people usually stay at a property. It decides which charger speed makes sense.
- Electric cooperative
- The local power company in many provinces outside Meralco's area. It supplies and meters the electricity.
- Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (EVIDA)
- Republic Act 11697, the 2022 law that sets the national framework for electric vehicles and charging in the Philippines.
- Electric vehicle (EV)
- Any vehicle driven by an electric motor. In the Philippines this includes cars, motorcycles, e-trikes and e-jeepneys.
- Equipment lease
- A deployment model where you pay the Provider a fixed amount each month, for a set number of months, for the chargers and for running them. After that payment, the margin is yours. If the chargers are quiet, you still pay.
- Any vehicle driven by an electric motor. In the Philippines this includes cars, motorcycles, e-trikes and e-jeepneys.
- GB/T
- A plug used on some vehicles made for the Chinese market. Rare on public chargers here.
- Hybrid
- A car with a fuel engine and a small battery that charges while driving. A regular hybrid never plugs in. Also one of the five deployment models, where costs and income are split.
- Kilowatt (kW)
- How fast power flows. A higher kW charger fills a battery faster. Think of it as how wide the tap is.
- Kilowatt-hour (kWh)
- How much energy is delivered. Drivers usually pay per kWh. Think of it as how much water ends up in the tank.
- Operating expenditure
- The running costs: electricity, repairs, software and data fees. Often shortened to OPEX.
- Plug-in hybrid
- A car with a fuel engine and a larger battery that can be charged from a plug. It can drive short distances on electricity alone.
- Provider
- Our word for a DOE-accredited company that installs and operates EV chargers.
- An arrangement where the property receives an agreed share of charging income. Always check how "revenue" is defined.
- Type 2
- The plug most electric cars in the Philippines use for alternating current (AC) charging.
- Utilisation
- How much of the time a charger is actually in use. The biggest single factor in whether a site earns.
- Zero capital expenditure
- A deployment model where the Provider pays to build, and the property is paid by rent or a share of revenue.
ZEEE Green Business Consultancy is an independent EV charging advisor. It does not sell, install or operate chargers.