Public charging: the terms around charge card, AC and DC

Public charging has its own vocabulary that is separate from the car: charge card, AC, DC, charger power, start fee. This guide explains those terms so you can read a spec sheet and a charge point. We compare no tariffs and give no advice.

AC and DC: where the limit sits

• AC charging (alternating current) runs through the car’s onboard charger. The charging speed is limited by the lowest of three values: the charger power, the connection, and the maximum AC charging capacity of the car itself (often 7.4 or 11 kW, sometimes 22 kW; factory figure, varies per variant). A 22 kW charge point does not charge a car with an 11 kW onboard charger faster than 11 kW.
• DC charging (direct current, fast charging) bypasses the onboard charger and goes straight into the battery. Here the car’s charge curve and the charger power apply; the peak figure in kW is rarely held for long (see the separate guide on 10-80% versus peak power).

The figure that counts for a charging session is therefore not the charger power alone, but the minimum of charge point, connection and car.

A practical example without invented exact figures: a common public AC charge point often delivers around 11 kW per connection, sometimes 22 kW. A car with an onboard charger of 7.4 kW charges at both points at 7.4 kW; the extra charger capacity is lost. Conversely, a car with a 22 kW onboard charger reaches that capacity only at a charge point and connection that deliver 22 kW three-phase. The phases count: single-phase charging is typically around 3.7 kW, three-phase higher (factory figure onboard charger; grid connection location-dependent). This explains why two cars at the same charge point can show very different charging times.

What a charge card and the tariff are

A charge card or app authorises the session and handles the billing; the card belongs to a charging service, not to the charge point. The tariff usually consists of a price per kWh and sometimes a start fee or a time component, and can vary per service, charge point operator and moment (public tariff information from the providers; highly variable, no fixed figure). We deliberately publish no tariff comparison: prices change too fast and per card, and a snapshot would suggest false precision.

Besides the card there is ad-hoc charging: paying without a subscription, often via a QR code or payment card at the charge point. That tariff is usually higher than via a charging-service subscription, but that too varies per operator and moment (public tariff information from the providers; variable). Roaming also plays a role: charging with one card at charge points of other operators can carry a surcharge. These are terms, not figures we pin down; anyone who wants a concrete tariff checks their own charging service at the moment itself.

Charge point density as context, not a ranking

How many public charge points are in a municipality is publicly available via open charge point data. That is background context for electric driving, not a measure of charging speed or cost and not a buying signal. A high density says nothing about the power per charge point or whether it is free at the moment.

Plug types as a term

In Europe Type 2 is the common AC plug and CCS (Combined Charging System) the common DC plug; older or Asian models may use CHAdeMO for DC (factory figure, varies per model and year). The type determines which cable you need and whether a charge point can charge the car at all, but says nothing about the speed: the speed remains the minimum of charge point, connection and car. An adapter between incompatible DC systems is not a standard solution; that is case-by-case engineering, not a term we generalise.

What the car spec says about this

On the model page we show, where reliably stated: the maximum AC charging capacity, the DC peak power, the plug type and, if available, a 10-80% time. If a value is not reliably established, we show n.b. instead of a derived estimate. We do not calculate charging cost or charging time “for you”; that depends on charge point, tariff and moment, and a personal cost outcome falls outside what this specs catalogue does. Charging behaviour in the cold is related to range; more on that in the related guides and the tool.

Indicative, no buying or tariff advice. Charging speed is the minimum of charge point, connection and car; tariffs vary per service and moment.

Continue with the data: look at the electric models, calculate with the range-by-temperature tool or look up terms in the glossary.