Industry jargon

Autocharge

Autocharge is a method of automatically identifying and authorising an EV from an identifier supplied by the vehicle, commonly its charging-interface MAC address. Once that identifier has been linked to a driver's account, a compatible network can recognise the vehicle when it is plugged in. Autocharge and Plug & Charge produce a similar driver experience, but their security models are different. Plug & Charge uses certificates and PKI defined around ISO 15118, while Autocharge commonly relies on an identifier that is not a cryptographic proof of identity. That distinction matters when designing authentication, roaming and fraud controls. CharIN guidance does not regard a CCS MAC address alone as secure authentication.