Charging Infrastructure Terminology

The charging infrastructure industry has aligned with a common standard called the Open Charge Point Interface (OCPI) protocol with this hierarchy for charging stations: location, electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) port, and connector. The Alternative Fuels Data Center and the Station Locator use the following charging infrastructure definitions:

Station Location: A station location is a site with one or more EVSE ports at the same address. Examples include a parking garage or a mall parking lot.

EVSE Port: An EVSE port provides power to charge only one vehicle at a time even though it may have multiple connectors. The unit that houses EVSE ports is sometimes called a charging post, which can have one or more EVSE ports.

Connector: A connector is what is plugged into a vehicle to charge it. Multiple connectors and connector types (such as CHAdeMO and CCS) can be available on one EVSE port, but only one vehicle will charge at a time. Connectors are sometimes called plugs.

Source: https://afdc.energy.gov/fuels/electricity_infrastructure.html