EV charging connections are the plugs that connect your electric car to an EV charger. EV chargers are found at homes, workplaces, and public & commercial parking lots.
The CCS connector, which stands for Combined Charging System, is popular in North America and can charge your car to 80% in just 30 minutes. The Mennekes plug is used in Europe. And Tesla has its own proprietary connector, which can only be used at their charging stations.
Type 1
The SAE J1772 or Type 1 connector is commonly used in North America. It supports Level 1 charging and is capable of up to 7kW at a home or public charging station. This connector has five pins and includes a control pilot pin to communicate with the EV charger. It doesn’t have a built-in automatic locking mechanism like the Type 2 plug.
Several EVs that have a Type 1 connector include the Citroen C-Zero, Ford Focus Electric, Kia Soul EV and Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. However, most newer EVs in the United States are fitted with Type 2.
Unlike traditional 15 amp and 125 volt plugs found in homes, EV charging sockets and cables have resistors that communicate with the charging system. This ensures a safe, efficient connection and prevents overheating. The Type 2 cable also contains features that detect the strength of the electricity supply and adjusts accordingly. This allows the EV or PHEV to get a high-quality, uninterrupted charge.
Type 2
EV owners need to understand the different connectors, sockets and plugs in order to use their vehicle at charging stations across the country. Fortunately, adapters exist for almost every connection type so that even if your EV comes with a specific Type 1 cable (often the case with older secondhand cars or the Mitsubishi Outlander plug-in hybrid) you can still charge it at most public stations.
The Type 2 or Mennekes plug is a popular choice in Europe, where it has seven pins and can charge at up to 22kW. It’s a single-phase design, which means it can work with both AC and DC chargers.
This is the plug used by most public chargers in Europe, and it can be found at motorway service areas and ‘Destination’ charge points in hotels. It can also be used at home with the right wall charger, which will convert it to a higher output than your standard 3-pin plug.
CCS
A CCS EV charging connector is designed to handle both AC and DC power. It uses a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) thermistor to monitor the contacts’ temperatures. If the thermistor detects that the contacts are getting too hot, it will signal the EVSE to slow down or stop charging.
The Combined Charging System is supported by major automakers around the world, and is widely used in North America and Europe. It is similar to the SAE J1772 Type 1 plug, but with two additional pins that allow high-speed DC fast charging.
Its competitor, CHAdeMO, is popular in Japan and China, but hasn’t become the industry standard worldwide like CCS. The difference between these EV charger plug types can be confusing, especially for new electric vehicle owners. Luckily, Adam Tech’s EV Charger Connector Cable Assemblies simplify this issue by enabling you to select the industry standard that matches your EV. They are available in 3 m (9.84 ft.) and 5 m (16.4 ft.) cable lengths with IP54 and IP55 Ingress Protection ratings.
CHAdeMO
CHAdeMO is the high-powered DC fast charger standard used by Japanese carmakers like Nissan, Mitsubishi, and Toyota. This plug has a maximum power of 62.5 kW (125 A x 500 V) and offers fast charging times, adding 120 kilometers to your range in about half an hour.
The CHAdeMO connector has multiple built-in safety mechanisms, including galvanic isolation, voltage detection, and over-current protection, to ensure safe charging operation. It also undergoes rigorous testing and certification processes to meet international safety standards.
This EV charging system is in competition with CCS, which came out a little later and is favoured by European carmakers, Tesla’s proprietary connector, which can provide Level 1 and 2 charging, and China’s GB/T protocol, which is used on the country’s newer EVs. Fortunately, CHAdeMO seems determined to stay relevant, and it is working to create a backward-compatible evolution of the system. The CHAdeMO Association is also trying to work with CCS and Tesla to make their respective systems compatible as well.EV Charger Connectors