There are more and more electric vehicles in Ukraine, and the infrastructure of charging stations is growing accordingly. At the same time, the number of various charging ports for electric vehicles is gradually increasing: J1772, CCS 2, Mennekes, NACS, CHAdeMO – how not to get confused in these complex designations? I will tell you now.
How to charge an electric car: alternating current or direct current
To begin with, it is worth recalling one important detail about the design of an electric car, and specifically about its battery. The bottom line is that a modern electric car has a DC battery. At the same time, in our ordinary household sockets and even in powerful industrial sockets, we have alternating current.
Therefore, in order to charge an electric vehicle from an alternating current source (AC is an abbreviation for Alternating Current), a current converter block is used, which is already built into the electric vehicle itself. Usually it has a power of 3.3-3.6 kW (not very modern models and basic versions), then up to 6.6-7.2-11 kW (most modern electric vehicles), and today there are converter blocks with a maximum power of up to 22 kW (as an option or in the standard configuration of high-class electric vehicles). There were even electric vehicles in which the converter block worked with a power of up to 43 kW, which allowed for quick charging of the battery; however, these were rare cases – for example, Renault ZOE.
When charging an electric vehicle from an AC source – these sources can be household single-phase sockets or industrial three-phase sockets – the built-in converter unit receives alternating current, converts it to direct current and then sends it to the battery. Thus, it is this charging converter unit that regulates the current supply for charging the electric vehicle battery. Usually, charging ports designed to connect a single-phase or three-phase alternating current source are used for this. If charging occurs from a regular household socket (voltage 220-230 volts and current up to 8-10-16 amperes), then you can count on a power of 2-2.5-3 kW and this is called “slow charging”. If charging occurs from a three-phase alternating current source (voltage 380 volts and current up to 32-60 amperes), then you can count on a power of 7-11-22 kW and this is called “accelerated charging”. For these two cases, the same charging port is used, designed to work with alternating AC current.
An electric car can be charged from alternating or direct current - accordingly, different methods of charging electric cars require the use of different charging ports; image from the AUTO.24TV.UA website
The charging process from direct current sources (DC is an abbreviation for Direct Current) is organized somewhat differently – in this case, the electric current is already supplied directly to the battery of the electric vehicle. Moreover, here both the voltage of the electric current (can be 400-800 volts or even more) and the strength of the electric current (can be 400-600 amperes or even more) are much higher. However, in the end, all this makes it possible to obtain the highest possible power: it all started with a mark of about 50 kW, today 100-120-150 kW have become the norm, and the most modern electric vehicles are ready to receive electric current with a capacity of 300-320-400 kW.
In this case, the charging station itself is responsible for supplying electric current – a large cabinet, the size of a petrol pump for refueling conventional ICE cars. Inside this cabinet is all the necessary equipment for converting alternating current into direct current, and with high voltage. Thus, the electric car cannot independently limit, regulate, or turn off the supply of electric current – because the current source is inside this charging cabinet; that is, outside the body of the electric car itself. And all that the electric car can do is send control commands to the charging station to start charging, limit power, and complete charging. This can be called “communication” between the electric car and the charging station. If there are problems with this communication, then further supply of electric current is possible even if the battery is almost fully charged, followed by its further heating and even a fire.
These DC charging stations are called "fast chargers" and they allow you to recharge the battery within 10-80% in 20-30 minutes. Of course, such charging stations are not cheap – therefore, their use and charging of an electric car is paid additionally and at a fairly high rate. But if you are traveling on the highway and want to save time and have time to charge your electric car during a short stop for lunch/coffee/tea, then "fast chargers" will provide this. Important: in this case, a different charging port is used – because you need to transfer DC current with high voltage and a fairly high current.
In addition to the division of charging ports by type of charging current, there is also a division by a specific region (sales market) for which a particular electric vehicle is intended; image from the NEXTCAR website.UA
Thus, we have two options for charging an electric vehicle battery – alternating AC current or constant DC current – and for these two options there are several different charging port options. Which ones? Read on!
Type 1 J1772 and CCS 1 charging port
Let's start with the charging port, which became very popular in 2010-2020 with the beginning of a new era of electric vehicles. This is a charging port made according to the SAE J 1772 standard, which is also called Type 1 as the first charging port for mass-produced electric vehicles. I would like to note right away that there were many electric vehicles in the 1980s-1990s and they had other charging ports; but these were niche models that cannot be called "popular" or mass-produced. Instead, the J 1772 charging port became very popular with the first-generation Nissan Leaf electric vehicle; and in general, this charging port was used on most Japanese or American electric vehicles from 2010-2020. The J 1772 charging port is made in the form of a circle, on the upper part of which a hook-type latch is installed, and inside the circle there are three large contacts and two small holes.
The J 1772 charging port can operate with single-phase alternating current (AC) with a theoretical power of up to 10 kW: this is if the power source outputs a voltage of up to 250 volts and a current of up to 40 amperes. In reality, most AC power sources and converter units in electric vehicles equipped with the J 1772 charging port were designed to operate with a power of 6.6-7.2 kW.
Photo from our Rivian R 1 electric car review: a rather rare CCS 1 charging port, built as a combination of a round J 1772 charging port and two contact pins below it
Based on the J 1772 charging port, the CCS 1 charging port was also built for “fast charging” of an electric vehicle with constant DC current. The name CCS 1 comes from the abbreviation Combined Charging System, and the number 1, respectively, means Type 1. In this case, the contact group of the J 1772 charging port is used only for “communication” of the electric vehicle with the charging station (commands to start and stop charging or reduce the power level), and the transmission of constant DC current occurs through two separate contacts located below. However, such a combined CCS 1 charging port did not gain much popularity, since the CHAdeMO charging port was often used instead.
CHAdeMO charging port
This charging port seems to exist on its own, as it is designed only for "fast charging" the battery with constant DC current. This independence is both an advantage and a disadvantage.
On the one hand, the CHAdeMO charging port has a full set of contacts: a pair of large contacts for current transmission plus contacts for "communication" of the electric car with the charging station. On the other hand, because of this, it turned out to be quite large, massive, and bulky. In addition, the need to install a separate charging port for AC charging has not disappeared. For example, if we recall the first generation Nissan Leaf , there were two charging ports hidden under the cover in the "nose" of the electric car. Or here's another example...
Photo from our review of the Lexus UX 300 e electric car: the CHAdeMO charging port is located on the rear wing under its own hatch; on the other hand, also on the rear wing there is a separate hatch and a separate charging port for regular AC charging; in the end, all this complicates the design of the electric car.
From the beginning of its existence, the CHAdeMO charging port was designed for a power of about 50 kW, and this power did not change for a long time – while competitors caught up and surpassed it in terms of power. Modern standards for the CHAdeMO charging port already provide for its operation with a power of up to 400 kW, however: firstly, competitors are not particularly inferior; secondly, today there are not very many electric vehicles with a CHAdeMO charging port that need such power.
The CHAdeMO charging port was originally developed by Japanese electric vehicle manufacturers. It is likely that it will remain a “Japanese story” as other charging ports are increasingly used in other markets.
Type 2 Mennekes and CCS 2 charging port
While the J 1772 charging port was once the standard for Japanese and American cars, the IEC 62196-2 Type 2 Mennekes charging port became (and continues to be) the standard for European-branded electric vehicles, as well as electric vehicles from other brands officially offered for sale on the European market. This charging port looks like a circle, slightly truncated at the top; inside this circle are five large holes for contacts and two more small ones.
The Mennekes charging port (the name became common after the name of the developer company) is distinguished by the fact that it can work with single-phase alternating current (AC) or even three-phase alternating current (AC): in the first case, we have only three contacts in five large holes; in the second case, we have all five contacts in all five large holes.
Thus, the charging port can transmit single-phase electric current with a power of up to 7.4 kW or even a maximum of three-phase electric current with a power of up to 22 kW. Note that in this case the power will be evenly distributed across the phases (and contacts) of the charging port.
Photo from our review of the Volvo EX 90 electric car: the common European CCS 2 charging port, built as a combination of a Mennekes charging port and two contact pins underneath it
Also, based on the Mennekes charging port, it was possible to build the CCS 2 charging port (short for Combined Charging System Type 2), where the contacts of the Mennekes charging port itself are responsible only for “communication” of the electric vehicle with the charging station, and the transmission of high-power DC current occurs through two contacts located below in a common block. Unlike the CCS 1 charging port, this combined CCS 2 charging port has become quite popular on European electric vehicles and has continued its development. For example, now the most modern versions of the CCS 2 charging port are ready to operate with a capacity of up to 350 kW with the possibility of further increase.
GB/T AC and GB/T DC charging port
A separate story is about Chinese-made electric vehicles – both Chinese brands and global brands, but designed for the Chinese market. All such electric vehicles receive their own charging ports with the designation GB/ T; moreover, they differ slightly depending on the type of current – alternating or direct – so sometimes these charging ports are designated GB/T AC and GB/T DC, respectively.
So, the GB/T AC charging port is designed to work with alternating current and visually it resembles the Mennekes charging port: a truncated circle, holes for five large contacts plus two small contacts at the top. However, this similarity is deceptive: the GB/T AC charging port is designed in such a way that it is incompatible with the Mennekes charging port – that is, you have to use "adapters" between ports of different types. Potentially, the GB/T AC charging port is designed to work with single-phase or three-phase alternating AC current with a power of up to 27 kW. However, in reality, the most common is the 1-phase version of this charging port with a permissible charging power of about 7 kW.
Photo from our Honda e electric car review: NS 1: note the pair of GB/T charging ports under a common cover – closer in the photo is the GB/T AC charging port for alternating current, further in the photo is the GB/T DC charging port for direct current
Another difference between GB/T charging ports is their separation for working with different types of current. This is both good and bad at the same time: for example, if one of the charging ports fails, there will still be an option to charge the electric vehicle at least to some extent; but in the event of an accident and damage to the front of the electric vehicle (as in the example above), two separate charging ports will have to be replaced – which increases the cost of repair. However, as it is.
Let's discuss the GB/T DC port, which visually resembles CHAdeMO: also a large circle with a pair of massive contacts for transmitting electric current (right/left) and a set of small contacts for "communicating" the electric vehicle with the charging station (top and bottom). Theoretically, the GB/T DC charging port is claimed to be capable of operating at a power of over 1000 kW; however, in reality, most often charging stations for the GB/T DC port and corresponding electric vehicles are designed for a maximum power of 350-400 kW or even less.
Tesla NACS charging port
Finally, we will conclude our review with the Tesla branded charging port, which as of today is already transforming into the generally accepted NACS charging port (short for North America Charging Standard). This story is as similar as possible to the Mennekes/CCS 2 charging port example in that all electric vehicle manufacturers of different brands – both from the USA and from other countries – must use the NACS charging port on their electric vehicles for the North American market; that is, we are talking about maximum standardization and unification according to the sales market.
The charging port, originally designed for Tesla electric vehicles, is now becoming the widely accepted NACS standard with the code designation SAE J 3400 in the North American market; image from Tesla.com
It is worth noting that the Tesla/NACS charging port is designed to work with both AC and DC sources. In fact, the electric car itself must determine the type of current being supplied and switch to the appropriate charging mode. That is: the owner always has only one charging port connection point and does not need to think about anything at all; the electric car must think about all this – very convenient.
However, the Tesla/NACS charging port is designed to have only a couple of contacts for transmitting electric current and a few contacts for "communicating" the electric car with the charging station. This charging port can operate with single-phase alternating AC current and then the maximum power can reach about 11 kW; although in reality in most cases we have a power of 7.4 kW. At the same time, this same charging port can operate with constant DC current for "fast charging" with a theoretical power of up to 325 kW and the potential to increase in the future.
Here is the result: charging ports differ most not depending on the brand of electric vehicle, but on what current you need to work with (alternating or direct), and on which sales market a particular electric vehicle is intended for (European, American, Chinese, etc.). We advise you to pay attention to the type of charging port before choosing your next electric vehicle and, if necessary, buy adapters between different charging ports, as well as pay attention to the type of ports of the nearest charging station near your home/office or charging stations located on your usual route. In conclusion: yes, there are a lot of charging ports – but now you know exactly what each of them is for and will be able to quickly distinguish the types of charging ports on different electric vehicles and charging stations.