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EV charging glossary

Industry jargon

Onboard charger

Also called: OBC, on-board charger An onboard charger is the power-conversion equipment inside an EV that converts incoming AC charging power into controlled DC for the traction battery. Its rating places an upper limit on the AC power the vehicle can accept. A car with an 11 kW onboard charger will not take 22 kW from a 22 kW AC charge point simply because that power is available. The vehicle will remain limited by its own charger and any lower supply or EVSE limit. During DC charging, the main AC-to-DC conversion happens in the external charger, so the vehicle's onboard AC charger is bypassed for that conversion stage.

Related terms

AC

DC

Charging rate
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