Industry jargon

Three-phase charging

Three-phase EV charging uses all three phases of an AC electrical supply to transfer power to a compatible vehicle. It is common on commercial sites and can support higher AC charging power than an equivalent single-phase connection. The vehicle needs a three-phase-capable onboard charger to use all three phases. A three-phase charge point does not force every vehicle to draw three-phase power; the actual charging arrangement depends on the vehicle and EVSE. Site design also needs to consider balance between phases, particularly where several single-phase chargers share a three-phase supply.