EV charging glossary

14 of 14 terms

kW (kilowatt)

Power — how fast energy is flowing right now. Higher kW = faster charging. Our chargers deliver up to 180kW.

kWh (kilowatt-hour)

Energy — the amount delivered or stored. Battery sizes are in kWh (a typical EV holds 60–100 kWh), and per-kWh networks bill on it. Think: kW is speed, kWh is distance.

SOC (State of Charge)

Your battery's current level, as a percentage — the EV version of the fuel gauge.

DCFC (DC Fast Charging)

Level 3 charging. Feeds direct current straight to the battery, bypassing the car's slower onboard charger. What HubCharge does.

NACS (SAE J3400)

North American Charging Standard — the compact connector Tesla created, standardized by SAE in 2023. Most automakers are adopting it. Every HubCharge charger has a NACS cable.

CCS (CCS1)

Combined Charging System — the fast-charging connector most non-Tesla EVs have used for years: a J1772 plug with two DC pins beneath. Every HubCharge charger has a CCS cable too.

J1772

The standard North American connector for Level 1 and Level 2 AC charging — also the top half of a CCS plug.

CHAdeMO

An older fast-charging standard, now being phased out industry-wide. We carry CCS1 and NACS only, and do not carry CHAdeMO.

Charging curve

How your charging speed changes across a session: ramps up, peaks around 20–60% battery, then tapers near full. It's why quick top-ups are time-efficient and charging to 100% at a fast charger isn't.

Preconditioning

Your car warming its battery before fast charging so it can accept full power. Usually automatic when you navigate to a charger in the car's own navigation — do this on the way to us.

Idle fees

Per-minute penalties many networks charge when a car stays plugged in after charging finishes. At participating HubCharge locations the attendant unplugs you, so there's nothing to race back for.

Plug & Charge

A standard (ISO 15118) where the car and charger authenticate automatically when you plug in — no card or app. HubCharge takes a different no-app route: everything runs in your phone's browser.

Range per hour

Miles of driving range added per hour of charging at a given power level — the most intuitive way to compare charging speeds.

800V architecture

A higher-voltage vehicle design (Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, Porsche Taycan…) that can charge very quickly. These cars are among the fastest-charging at our stations.