Different types of EV Connectors

EV Connectors have become so big of a concept that almost every other company associated with automobile manufacturing is looking for new technologies to bring advancements in the way they work. Just like a mobile phone, as much as the efficiency of EV connectors is important, it’s crucial that they are reliable, safe, and long-lasting.  

Let’s look at the existing types of EV-connectors! 

1)     Vehicle side EV connector types 

These are similar much like a phone’s charger as they are made to fit into the vehicle's socket. Depending on which car one has, their types vary further. 

2)     Slow & Fast Charging AC Connectors - type 1 and type 2 

These are used primarily for top-up charging at the locations where vehicles are driven on a regular basis, such as home, work, and daily supermarts. Two types of AC vehicle-side connectors are Type 1 and Type 2 

Type 1 chargers are the basic EV charger convenient for any electric vehicles use. It’s designed to slowly charge a vehicle from an AC socket or home-charging system and it provides AC charging power levels up to 220 volts and a maximum of 16 amps of current.

It’s basic model and design allow it to manage single-phase input power levels of up to 3 kW. Since powers in such kinds of chargers are converted from AC to DC, it usually takes time and hence making it a slow process. 

Type 2 Chargers are designed for faster charging and are compatible with both AC and DC charging systems. Designed to work with three-phase input power systems, they are the most common ones in the European charging stations. They have the capacity of handling input power between 7.4 kW to 43 kW with a 400 volt AC supply. What’s interesting about these types of chargers is that they are usually set-up in consumer’s homes for faster charging times as it is also compatible with vehicles with CCS plugs. 

3)     Rapid Charging

 CHAdeMO

Present across the globe, CHAdeMO is believed to be one of the first types of fast-charging systems developed with a capacity of handing up to 50 kW DC fast-charging. But as the technology is progressing, modern vehicles are now leaping towards the CCS system, for it offers more versatility.

 CCS or Combined Charging System 

The use of CSS is becoming more prevalent with new-age electric vehicles as they are designed for multi-purpose work. On one hand where they can handle regular charging from home-charging stations, on the other hand, they are also capable of providing DC fast-charging for vehicles from commercial charging stations. For DC charging, the plug incorporates two additional contact points. Common DC fast-chargers provide input power of 50 kW, but this type of plug can handle charge power levels up to 350 kW at once.  

4)     GB/T Charger

 GB/T Chargers are installed by Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a government body, and are capable of DC fast-charging with an output of 10-15 kW for low-power E-vehicles. But, they can handle capacities of up to 230 kW as well. Due to their efficiency, these types of chargers are recommended by the Indian government for EVs under its Bharat DC 001 standard.

 Did you know that the Indian government has made it mandatory for consumers to use Bharat spec DC and AC standards for EV chargers?