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EV charging glossary

Industry jargon

Control pilot

Also called: CP, PWM control pilot The control pilot is the basic signalling circuit between an EV and EVSE used to indicate charging state and the current the EVSE can make available for AC charging. IEC 61851 defines the control-pilot function. In AC charging, the EVSE uses a pulse-width-modulated signal to communicate its available current. The vehicle changes the electrical state of the pilot circuit to indicate connection and charging readiness. High-Level Communication can operate alongside this basic signalling where richer digital communication is required. The control pilot and ISO 15118 therefore solve different layers of the charging-interface problem.

Related terms

IEC 61851

High-Level Communication

EVSE
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