EV Charging Connector

EV Charging Connector Types Worldwide

With the rapid development of the global electric vehicle industry, various countries are speeding up the construction of electric vehicle charging piles. However, the EV charging connector types vary from country to country, which to a certain extent affects the convenience of EV charging.

At present, North America mainly uses SAE J1772 standard, Europe uses IEC 62196-1,2,3 standard, China is using standard GB/T 20234.1,2,3-2011, and Japan’s is using CHAdeMO standard. Figure 1 shows the types of EV charging connectors worldwide.

Figure 1: EV Charging Connectors Types Around the World

SAE J1772 Standard

SAE J1772 is a North American standard for electrical connectors for electric vehicles maintained by the SAE International and has the formal title “SAE Surface Vehicle Recommended Practice J1772, SAE Electric Vehicle Conductive Charge Coupler”.

SAE J1772 standard AC charging plug is shown in Figure 2.

SAE J1772 Standard EV Charging Connector
Figure 2: SAE J1772 Standard EV Charging Connector

The function of each contact is shown in Table 1. for AC single-phase charging, its voltage and maximum current are shown in Table 2.

Table 1: Function of each PIN according to SAE J1772 standard
PIN Function Primary AC and secondary AC
1 Mains 1 Required
2 Mains 2 Required
3 Ground Required
4 Control pilot Required
5 Connection switch Required

Table 2: Primary AC and secondary AC
Charging Method Supply Voltage (V) Maximum Current (A) Branch Circuit
Breaker Rating (A)
Primary AC 120V AC, Single-phase 12A 15A (minimum)
120V AC, Single-phase 16A 20A
Secondary AC 208~240V, Single-phase ≤80A According to NEC 625

IEC 62196-1,2,3 Standard

Type 1

IEC 62196 is an international standard for set of electrical connectors and charging modes for electric vehicles and is maintained by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).

The IEC 62196 standard type 1 charging connector contact definition is the same as the SAE J1772 standard AC charging interface, as shown in Figure 2.

Table 3: Maximum voltage and current for each contact according to IEC 62196 Type 1
PIN AC Functions
1 250V  32A ② L1 (mains 1)
2 250V  32A L2 (mains 2) / N (neutral)
3 Rated for fault PE (ground / earth)
4 30V  2A CP (Control pilot)
5 30V  2A CS (Connection switch)
①  For contacts 4 and 5, environmental conditions may demand larger conductor cross-sections.
②  In the following countries, the branch circuit overcurrent protection is based upon 125% of the device rating: USA.
③  Positon number does not refer to the location and/or identification of the contact in the accessory.

Type 2

The type 2 charging connector contact definition of the IEC 62196 standard is shown in Figure 3.

PIN of IEC 62196 Standard EV Charging Connector
Figure 3: PIN of IEC 62196 Standard EV Charging Connector

Charging power pins: line (L1), line (L2), line (L3), neutral(N), and protective earth (PE).
Signal pins: the control pilot (CP) and proximity pilot (PP).

The maximum voltage and current of the IEC 62196 standard charging connector in three-phase and single-phase power are shown in Table 3.

Table 4: Maximum voltage and current for each PIN according to IEC 62196 in three-phase power and single-phase power
PIN Three phase Single phase Functions
Umax Imax   Imax
V a.c. A A
  Type 2 Type 3 Type 2 Type 3
1 500 63 32 70 32 L1 (mains 1) ②
2 500 63 32 – ③ – ③ L2 (mains 2)
3 500 63 32 – ③ – ③ L3 (mains 3)
4 500 63 32 70 32 N (neutral) ②③
5 Rated for fault PE (ground / earth)
6 30 2 CP (Control pilot)
7 30 2 PP (Proximity) ④ or
CS (Connection switch) ④
①  In the following countries, the branch circuit overcurrent protection is based upon 125% of the device rating: USA.
②  For single phase charging contacts 1 and 4 shall be used.
③  Unused contacts need not to be installed. Not provided for standard sheets 2-llla and 2-lllb.
④  Not provided for standard sheet 2-llla.
⑤  For single phase system supply phase to phase this contact can be used for L2 (mains 2).
⑥  Position number does not refer to the location and/or identification of the contact in the accessory.

CHAdeMO Standard

CHAdeMO was formed by The Tokyo Electric Power CompanyNissanMitsubishi and Fuji Heavy IndustriesToyota later joined as its fifth executive member. Three of these companies have developed electric vehicles that use TEPCO‘s DC connector for quick charging.

The contact definition of the charging connector of the CHAdeMO standard can be seen in Table 5, while Figure 4 shows the timing circuit of the CHAdeMO.

Table 5: Function of each PIN according to CHAdeMO Standard
PIN Functions
1 Ground
2 Charge sequence signal
3 Not connected
4 Charging enable
5 DC power
6 DC power
7 Connector proximity detection
8 CAN bus
9 CAN bus
10 Charge sequence signal
CHAdeMO EV Charging Connector Sequence Circuit
Figure 4: CHAdeMO EV Charging Connector Sequence Circuit

The CHAdeMO standard can output high voltage DC power up to 62.5kw. Figure 5 shows the CHAdeMO standard EV charging connectors.

CHAdeMO EV Charging Connector
Figure 5: CHAdeMO EV Charging Connector

GB/T 20234.1,2,3-2011 Standard

The GB/T 20234.1,2,3-2011 standard has an AC charging connector as shown in Figure 6, a DC charging connector as shown in Figure 7, and a maximum voltage and current and insulation level as shown in Figure 7. GB’s DC charging also uses CAN communication.

Figure 6: EV Charging Connector of GB/T Standard (AC )
Figure 7: EV Charging Connector of GB/T Standard (DC )

Table 6: AC and DC charging system according to GB standard
Parameter AC DC
GB standard
Nominal voltage Up to 440 V AC Up to 750 V DC
Nominal current Up to 32 A Up to 250 A
Standard GB/T Part 2 GB/T Part 3
IP protection when plugged in IP55 IP55
IP protection with protective cap IP54 IP54

Combined Charging System (CCS) Standard

The Combined Charging System is a quick charging method for battery electric vehicles delivering high-voltage direct current via a special electrical connector derived from the SAE J1772 (IEC Type 1) or IEC Type 2 connector. As the plug is a combination of an AC connector with a DC option the resulting connector is also called Combo Coupler and the variant with Type 2 is abbreviated as Combo2.

The eight major American and German manufacturers, Ford, GM, Chrysler, Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen and Porsche, released the “Joint Charging System” in 2012. All current charging interfaces are unified so that four modes of single-phase AC charging, fast three-phase AC charging, home DC charging, and super-speed DC charging can be accomplished with one interface.
The charging plug of the combined type using the SAE J1772 standard is shown in Figure 8. Figure 9 shows the combined charging plug with charging using IEC 62196 standard. Figure 10 shows the schematic diagram of combined charging and power information.

Universal CCS EV Charging Connector System
Figure 8: Universal CCS EV Charging Connector System
Figure 9: CCS2 EV Charging Connector According to IEC 62196
Schematic Diagram of CCS Charging and Power Information
Figure 10: Schematic Diagram of CCS Charging and Power Information

The communication protocol for combined charging uses power carrier communication, PLC (power line communication). While GB/T and CHAdeMO use CAN communication.

The Communication Protocol for EV Charging Connectors
Figure 11: The Communication Protocol for EV Charging Connectors

Summary

From the above, The EV charging connector types differ significantly from country to country and region to region. There is still a long way to go to have a unified international standard.

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