Electric car charging cables can be of different types and are not designed to charge electric cars at all EV charging points. Charging cables can be categorised by geographical region, car manufacturer and charging capacity.
Type of connector for electric vehicle charging cable – 1
The Type 1 electric vehicle charging cable is suitable for charging electric vehicles up to 7.4 kW (230 V, 32 A). This standard is mainly used in models from car manufacturers in Asia and North America. In Europe, this is the most common connection if the car is imported from these regions.
Type of connector for electric vehicle charging cable – 2
The Type 2 charging cable connector is suitable for charging electric vehicles up to 22 kW (400 V, 32 A). This standard is mainly used in models from European car manufacturers. The Type 2 electric vehicle charging cable is the most common charging connection at both home and commercial charging stations.
Type of connector for electric vehicle charging cable – CCS
The CCS cable connector is a more powerful version of cable type 2. With two additional electrical contacts, it allows faster charging of the electric car battery. This connector is mostly used for medium and fast EV charging terminals (50 kW), but the technical possibilities of the connector allow charging up to 170 kW.
Type of connector for electric car charging cable – CHAdeMO
The CHAdeMO connector type was developed and perfected in Japan. This connector allows charging of electric cars up to 50 kW. The most common place to find this connection is at public charging stations for electric cars. The CHAdeMO connector can be used to charge the following manufacturers’ electric cars: BD Otomotive, Citroën, Honda, Kia, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Peugeot, Subaru, Tesla(with adaptor) and Toyota.
Most of the types of EV charging connections mentioned here are the most used by EV manufacturers worldwide. However, technology is advancing at an ever faster pace and we may see wireless charging models being tested and used by some car manufacturers in the future. This would further facilitate and simplify the charging of electric vehicles and accelerate their take-up.