Get in touch with our team today.
Curious about how Oodles fits into your property? Schedule a call to learn more about how a customized EV charging solution looks at your building.
The EVpedia: The Ultimate Guide to CaaS Charging Terminology
The demand for electric vehicles is surging. EV sales have experienced record growth for the last five years, with March 2021 showing the highest recorded growth in one month. Even further, California and New York have introduced legislation to ban non-electric vehicle sales by 2035, effectively creating growth in the number of EVs on the road by way of the law. With this growth comes the need for one very important thing: EV charging stations at home.
Single-family homeowners have it easy–they just install their chargers right in their private garages. But the EV world has yet to catch on to EV Charging as a Service tailored to multifamily properties. After all, multifamily residents don’t have the ability to install an EV charger wherever they want. They must rely on another source to power up their vehicles. Why not let them charge up at home–from the comfort of their own parking space–while you reap the rewards of the extra income every time they plug in?
When you partner with Oodles, we share a portion of the revenue from resident subscription fees, plus a portion of the electricity fees from each driver’s charging session. The monthly revenue generated turns into a scalable increase in NOI–that’s what we call a win-win.
If you’re new to the EV world (or you’re looking to explore it further), familiarizing yourself with the basics of EV terminology will help you lead important business discussions, speak the language to fellow decision-makers, and pick the right partner for you. As the top EV charging partner for multifamily, Oodles is prepared to equip you with the knowledge you need to make the best business decision for your property–one EV acronym at a time.
The EVpedia: EV Terminology You Need to Know
Welcome to EV Terminology 101! This is just the introduction to all things EV, meaning there’s much more to learn once you know how to speak the language.
AC Charging
AC charging stands for “alternating current charging” and is a type of charging for electric vehicles. With AC charging, electricity is taken directly from the power grid, converted to DC power through a converter within your vehicle, and stored in your vehicle’s battery. Since power grids only supply AC electricity, and your EV can only hold DC (direct current) power, it must be converted before being stored in your vehicle.
AC charging is typically done overnight when drivers charge their EVs at home, and there are different levels of AC charging that can be used. AC charging levels include Level 1, standard household current (120V), and Level 2, which is what an electric dryer uses (240V). Though a lower voltage equates to a slower charge, AC charging can be installed in most properties—making it an excellent choice for many multi-family residences.
AMP
AMP is short for amperage, a measure of electrical charge that communicates the volume of electrons in a current flow. Small changes in amperage can mean a big difference in the power of an electrical shock a person can receive from touching that flow. Amperes are an extremely important consideration in the installation of EV charge stations.
BEV
BEV stands for “battery electric vehicle,” a type of all-electric vehicle where energy is stored within a battery inside the vehicle. A BEV relies solely on an electric battery system for power and must be plugged into a charging source periodically to recharge. On average, BEVs can operate for 250 miles on a single charge.
CCS
Also commonly referred to as a “combo plug,” CCS stands for “Combined Charging System” and is an SAE-certified DC fast charging protocol. A CCS plug combines the J1772 plug and DC fast charging connector.
CHAdeMO
CHAdeMo is short for “CHArge de MOve,” meaning “charge for moving,” and is a type of proprietary fast-charge solution. Many EV manufacturers are abandoning proprietary protocols in favor of open solutions.
Charging as a Service (CaaS)
EV Charging as a Service (EV CaaS for short) is a service providing turnkey EV charging solutions without the burden of complete ownership. Instead of the responsibility of equipment maintenance, customer support, troubleshooting, and driver communication, those who hire EV CaaS partners don’t have to worry about a thing.
CTEP Certified Energy Metering
The California Type Evaluation Program (or CTEP) is the process by which the Division of Measurement Standards (DMS) evaluates a product before issuing a Certificate of Approval. All products sold for commercial use in California must be approved by the DMS, which administers the program.
Because electricity is considered a motor fuel, EV charging stations now require CTEP DMS certification as of 2019.
Direct Current (DC) Charging
DC charging occurs when AC power is converted to DC power before being inserted into the vehicle. This means power can be directly fed to the car’s battery, resulting in a faster charge.
Drive Units
A Drive Unit Drive Units consists of three pieces: the power electronics, gearbox, and electric motor. When working correctly together, these components drive the vehicle to make it move.
Dynamic Load Balancing
Dynamic load balancing is a software-based solution designed to manage energy when multiple charging stations are working at the same time. This solution helps to avoid tripping circuits, leaving drivers without power to charge, when EV chargers are sharing the same circuit. Oodles uses dynamic load balancing to ensure this never happens!
EV
The meaning of EV is an important one! Simply put, EV is short for “electric vehicle.” An electric vehicle uses an electric power source instead of an internal combustion engine to propel itself. Different types of EVs include the battery electric vehicle (BEV), the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), the hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), and the fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV).
EVSE
EVSE stands for “Electric Vehicle Service Equipment” and is the shorthand term used to describe EV chargers and equipment.
EV Charging Levels
There are three levels of EV chargers, each of which offers different charging speeds and power.
- Level 1 Charging (120V)
- Level 2 Charging (240V)
- Level 3 Charging (DC fast charger)
Keep scrolling to read more about these charging levels.
EV Commercial
EV commercial covers the EV industry for the commercial sector, including vehicles built for transporting goods and people (also known as transit).
EV Multifamily
EV multifamily covers EV charging for multi-unit dwellings such as apartments, condos, and other multi-family properties. EV charging for multifamily properties is incredibly challenging and requires specialized knowledge–that’s where Oodles comes in to save the day.
EV Fleet
An electric vehicle fleet is a group of EVs that belong to a company and are used for business purposes. These could be groups of buses, taxis, or delivery trucks.
ISO 15118 Support
ISO 15118 Support is the name for the process that enables an electric vehicle to communicate with an EV charging station. This international standard for EVs allows the electric car to plug in and communicate directly with the charging station to receive energy and begin charging.
J1772
A J1772, also known as a J plug, is the North American standard for EV electrical connectors and has been adopted by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE).
kWh
A kWh, or Kilowatt-hour, is a unit of energy equivalent to the energy transferred or expended in one hour by one kilowatt of power. Electric car battery size is measured in kWh, which communicates the amount of power it can store for use.
OCPP
OCPP is short for Open Charge Point Protocol. It is an internationally-recognized initiative focused on creating an open application protocol that allows EV charging stations from different vendors and a cloud-based network management software system to communicate with each other. Learn more about OCPP here.
Power Output
Power output, when referring to electric vehicles instead of physics, explains the amount of energy output generated by the motor within a given timeframe. Power output can be measured in horsepower or kilowatts.
Smart Charging
Smart charging refers to how EV chargers communicate with your car, the charging service provider, and the electricity utility company through the cloud. Smart charging allows CaaS providers to communicate with the EV chargers to optimize charging and provide sufficient energy through the grid.
Smart Demand Response
Smart Demand Response is a rationing system that allocates electric power supply. Smart Demand Response relies on technology to avoid outages and reduce demand using smart meters and intelligent technology to improve consumption and respond to trends in over-usage and under-utilization.
FAQs About EV Charging
Now that you know the basic EV terminology, you’ll better understand the principles behind EV, meaning the main ideas necessary to keep a dinner conversation going. Common questions about EVs include the following–with all the answers!
What are the three types of EV charging?
Wait, EV chargers come in different levels? The three types of EV charging are Level 1 Charging, Level 2 Charging, and Level 3 Charging.
- Level 1 Charging: The most commonly available charging format because anyone can charge this way from home. It works by plugging the vehicle’s included car charger into a regular 120-volt wall outlet or separate wall-mounted charger.
- Level 2 Charging: These are the most common chargers in public or commercial parking spaces and some residential areas, making them the most commonly used for daily EV charging. They are usually separate stations that provide faster-charging speeds than Level 1 Chargers.
- Level 3 Charging: Very few residential locations have adequate voltage supply to support Level 3 Charging, so you’ll mostly find these in public areas. These chargers, also known as DC Fast Chargers, are the fastest type.
What is the meaning of EV charging?
EV charging is the process of supplying electricity to fuel an EV, meaning the process of charging the vehicle for use. Electric vehicles plug into EV chargers which supply electricity to recharge their batteries, providing a 250-mile range, on average, within roughly 6-8 hours on a Level 2 Charger.
Is EV charging profitable?
EV charging can be profitable for multifamily property owners. How? It’s simple. With Oodles' revenue-sharing pricing model, a multifamily property or multi-unit dwelling gets a share of the revenue driven by resident EV drivers. A portion of the resident’s electricity usage and the monthly fee goes back to the property, making an attractive NOI scalable into the future.
Can EVs be charged anywhere?
Electric vehicles can only be charged at the proper EV charging stations, meaning charging up is difficult (and often inconvenient) for EV drivers who don’t have chargers installed at home. For residents in multi-unit dwellings, like condos and apartments, accessibility to EV chargers relies on the public EV chargers around their homes. Until Oodles!
With our turnkey EV charging solution, apartment residents are happy to charge up at home and don’t have to deal with charger installation on their own. Property owners don’t need to know a thing about EV chargers, either. We handle everything, so you don’t have to force your staff to learn another job or worry about maintenance.
