Electric vehicles (EVs) are revolutionizing the automotive industry as sustainable and clean transportation options gain popularity. As the EV charging connector market grows, the need for efficient and standardized electric vehicle charging solution becomes increasingly crucial. This is where EV charging connectors play a vital role.

An EV connector is a physical interface that allows electric vehicles to connect with charging stations via a power cable. The EV charging connectors ensure a safe and reliable transfer of electricity from the grid to the vehicle, enabling efficient charging. A high-quality EV connector ensures compatibility between various vehicle models and charging infrastructures, creating a seamless charging experience for EV owners.

If you’re filling up a car that has an internal combustion engine (ICE), you only need to distinguish between the gas and diesel pump. For drivers of electric vehicles (EVs), however, there are more options to choose from. That’s because on the one hand, the nascent EV sector is still on a path to standardization, and on the other because different charging speeds and power loads require more than one type of EV plug. Here’s how to identify the right EV plug for the three types of electric vehicles (EVs) that require a plug-in charger, namely plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), battery electric vehicles (BEVs), and cars using proprietary chargers.

The Evolution of EV Plug Types
Travel around the world and you’ll soon realize that each country seems to have its own plug to connect devices to the power grid. If you want to use your devices abroad, you’ll typically need an adapter or even a transformer to draw power. The same lack of standardization applies to the EV market, both by fortune and design. EV car manufacturers developed vehicles before an internationally uniform charging infrastructure was in place, while certain manufacturers (eg. Tesla) intentionally developed proprietary solutions that supported their own vehicles only.

Understanding Different EV Plug Types
That’s how we reached the current landscape where EV plug types vary according to territory, power source (ie. slow vs. fast charging) and vehicle type.

Type 1 – SAE J1772
This is the standard for Level 1 and 2 charging in North America and Asia, where the source is a single-phase alternating current (AC). It’s a 5-pin plug that can draw power up to 19.2kW. In most cases, if you’re driving an EV in the USA, you connect to the home or public charging station using a Type 1 plug.

Type 2 – Mennekes
This is the standard in Europe where triple-phase alternating current is the default power source for Level 1 and 2 charging. The 7-pin plug allows up to 43kW and (unlike the Type 1) features an automatic locking mechanism to prevent accidental disconnection.

CCS1
You’ll need this 7-pin EV plug if you’re looking for DCFC charging (up to 350kW) in North America, although it can also be used for slow AC charging. Essentially, the CCS1 is a Type 1 plug with two additional high-speed DC charging pins added. If you’re charging at a public station, where the goal is usually to get back on the road with the briefest delay, this is the EV plug for the job.

CCS2
The European counterpart of the CCS1 is a 9-pin enhancement of the Type 2 plug. It allows charging of up to 350kW. As with the CCS1, this plug can deliver both AC and DC charging.

CHAdeMO
Initially developed in Japan, the 10-pin CHAdeMO was one of the first fast-charging DC plug types on the market. The first generation offered up to 50kW, but the second generation delivers a whopping 400kW. The CHAdeMO also allows for bidirectional vehicle-to-grid (V2G) charging. Despite its popularity in Japan, the plug is slowly being phased out internationally, particularly since the European Commission mandated CCS2 for DC charging in Europe.

GB/T
You won’t come across this EV plug as a North American driver, but it’s the option used by more than half of the world’s EV drivers. That’s because GB/T is the standard AC and DC plug in China, delivering 7.4kW for AC and 237.5 kW for DC.

Tesla Supercharger
Tesla’s proprietary EV plug accommodates Level 1, 2 and 3 AC and DC charging. In other words, there’s just the one plug. In North America, it uses a NACS charger, but all vehicles come with an adapter that connects to the Type 1 J1772 plug. In Europe, Tesla cars now use CCS2 charging.