If your new to electric vehicle charging, some terms may seem confusing and put you off the idea of switching to electric. In this guide we will explain car charging sockets and the main differences between them all.
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Car Charging Sockets
Every electric vehicle needs plugging into an energy source to replenish the battery, but just like plugging in your phone charger at home and abroad, there are different standards in different countries. Before the European automotive industry settled on the IEC Type 2 “Mennekes” connector as the local standard. Before this there was no industry standard for charging sockets and therefore each vehicle manufacturer could use either Type 1, Type 2, CHAdeMO and CCS charging methods.
The most popular charging socket in the UK is Type 2 and if you purchase a new electric vehicle you will more than likely have a Type 2 charging socket. Lets take a look at the most popular charging connectors available in vehicles to date.
Type 1 - (Yazaki - J plug - SAE J1772)
The Type 1 charging socket also known as Yazaki, J plug and has the development name SAE J1772. This type 1 socket is least commonly used in the UK and is usually only found on older Nissan Leafs, the Kia Soul, Peugeot iOn and Citroen C-Zero. The Mitsubishi Outlander (PHEV) still uses this socket to date.
Type 2 - (Mennekes - IEC 62196)
The Type 2 charging socket also known as Mennekes and has the development standard name IEC 62196. This type 2 socket is commonly used throughout the UK and is usually found on the majority of electric vehicles and electric vehicle charge points.
We have just covered the charging connectors on the vehicle, now let’s move onto the charging connectors from the main power supply.
When charging your vehicle, you can harness energy from solar, the grid or battery storage to replenish the power level in your cars battery. To do this you need to connect the car to a charge point and if you are planning on fast charging at home there’s two main types of chargers available:
Socketed - Universal
This electric vehicle charging point is installed at your home and does not have a cable permanently attached to the charger. This charger allows charging to Type 1 and Type 2 vehices, as long as you have a compatible charging cable. To charge your vehicle you must plug the charging cable into the charge point and then into the car.
Tethered - Type 1 only or Type 2 only
This electric vehicle charging point is installed at your home and has a cable permanently attached to the charger. When ordering the charger you must specift which connector you require, either Type 1 or Type 2. To charge your vehicle you simply plug the charging cable directly into the car and start charging.
Combined Charging System (CCS Combo 2)
This charging connection is mainly available on public third-party rapid chargers, these connectors charge your vehicle with DC electricity, eliminating the need for the on-board conversion from AC to DC. This charging system combines the Type 2 and DC connectors to create a smart, high-speed connection to the grid. This increases the charging speed and can charge your battery from 0-80% in less than 30 minutes.
CHAdeMO
This charging connection is also a rapid charging standard, usually found on Type 1 vehicles. These also charge your vehicle with DC electricity, eliminating the need for the on board conversion from AC to DC. The only drawback from these charging connectors is that you need a separate CHAdeMO connection on your vehicle. You can charge your battery from 0-80% in less than 30 minutes using the CHAdeMO connector.
So there it is, everything you need to know about charging connectors. If you feel like anything can be added to this guide, please leave a comment below.