If you’ve just bought your first electric vehicle, the charging side of ownership can feel like it comes with its own vocabulary — kW, kWh, Type 2, CCS2, single-phase, three-phase. None of it is complicated once it’s explained in order, so that’s what this post does.
Power (kW) vs energy (kWh)
Power, measured in kilowatts (kW), is how fast energy is delivered — think of it like the flow rate from a tap. Energy, measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh), is the total amount delivered over time — how much water ends up in the bucket. A 7.4 kW charger running for one hour delivers roughly 7.4 kWh, assuming no losses.
AC vs DC charging
Most home and workplace chargers supply AC (alternating current) power, which your vehicle’s onboard charger converts to DC to store in the battery. DC fast chargers skip that step by feeding DC power directly into the battery, which is why they can charge much faster — but they also need much more powerful, and more expensive, hardware to do it.
Single-phase vs three-phase supply
Most homes have a single-phase electrical connection, which limits how much AC power can be delivered to a charger — typically up to around 7.4 kW in Indian residential settings. Three-phase connections, more common in larger homes, offices and commercial buildings, can support higher-power AC chargers like 11 kW or 22 kW units.
Connectors
The connector is simply the plug shape linking charger to vehicle. Type 2 is the common AC connector for cars; CCS2 adds DC pins to the same shape for fast charging. Two- and three-wheelers often use different connector types, or simply plug into a domestic-style socket for lower-power charging.
Once you know your vehicle’s onboard charger rating and the connector it uses, choosing a charger becomes a much shorter list of decisions — covered in more detail in our Charging Guide.
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