As electric vehicles grow in popularity, so does the prevalence of charging points around the country and the various EV charging cables required to connect to them. There are now thousands of public electric car charge points in the UK, usually in car parks, supermarkets and service stations. There is also an increasing amount of private charging points, either in residential or commercial properties.
The charging points are not universal though, and there are different connector types that work for different electric vehicles and at different charging rates. Here we look at the five main EV charger connector types in the UK and explain what they are for and what they do.
UK 3-Pin EV Connector
The 3-pin EV charger connector has a power rating of 2.3-3kW AC and works through a standard UK domestic electricity outlet. It is not designed for extended use, such as that required to fully charge an electric vehicle. The 3-pin EV connector produces a very slow charging rate, with a maximum power output of 3 kW that generates approximately five miles of range for every 30 minutes of charging time. Only compatible with Single Phase electricity supplies.
Type 1 EV Connector
With a power rating of 3-7kW AC, the Type 1 EV charger connector has a faster charging rate than the 3-pin connector, but is still relatively slow compared to the other connector types listed below. Type 1 generates approximately 12 miles of range for every 30 minutes of charging time, though is becoming less and less compatible with the latest designs of electric vehicles. Also only compatible with Single Phase electricity supplies.
Type 2 EV Connector
The Type 2 EV charger connector is on its way to becoming the standard charging cable connector type in Europe. It is has a significantly higher power rating of 3-42kW AC, and is compatible with both Single Phase and Three Phase electricity supplies. Every 30 minutes of charging should generate approximately 75 miles of range. Tesla has also designed their own 120 kW DC version of the Type 2 EV connector.
CHAdeMO EV Connector
The oddly named CHAdeMO EV connector takes its name from a Japanese phrase about having a cup of tea, which is supposedly the time it takes to charge an electric vehicle via this fast-charging method. It has a power rating of 50kW DC, though is only compatible with a Three Phase electricity supply. You get approximately 85 miles of range for every 30 minutes of charging.
CCS (Combined Charging System) EV Connector
The versatile CCS EV charger connector is the main rapid charging competitor for the Japanese CHAdeMO connector. It has a power rating of 50-350kW DC that generates approximately 85-200 miles range per 30 minutes of charging. The CCS EV connector is quickly growing in popularity thanks to its capacity to enable a higher power rating that can support larger ultra rapid chargers.
If you need EV charger installation experts and suppliers for a residential or commercial property anywhere in the UK, then get in touch today; we’d love to help.